Best time to see the Orionid meteor shower this month

Every fall our planet passes through a ribbon of cosmic debris left behind by Halley’s Comet. Earth’s atmosphere collides with this trail of ice and dust, providing an impressive annual light show called the Orionid meteor shower.

When is the Orionid meteor shower?

The first Orion meteors have already appeared in the sky, and the show will last until the first week or so of November, but the meteor shower peaks in the early morning hours of October 21-22. A hemisphere viewing the southwestern sky around 3-4am can expect to see 20-30 meteors per hour crossing the sky until sunrise.

The meteor appears to originate somewhere between the constellations of Orion (hence the name) and Gemini, but should be visible in other parts of the sky as long as it’s not too cloudy.

Meteor Orionis is a quick boy. These pieces of ice and burning cosmic dust crash into the atmosphere at 41 miles per second, and when they burn up, they can produce impressive streaks of light and the occasional fireball.

This year is a good year for the Orionid meteor shower

Meteor observation conditions are very good this year. Because the Moon will be in a waning crescent, it won’t be extremely bright, allowing you to see more of the cosmic fireworks. A few nights later he saw the new moon on October 25th, when the sky was as dark as possible, perfect for watching shooting stars.

How to see the Orionid meteor shower

Seeing meteors is as easy as looking up at the sky on a clear night and waiting, but if you want to improve your experience, here are some tips.

• You don’t need binoculars or a telescope to see Orion. Burying your face in the binoculars narrows your field of view, making it difficult to spot shooting stars. Anyway, bring them for the space station.
• Move away from lights, buildings, and trees. You want as little light pollution as possible and as much viewing area as possible.
• Do not alternately look at your smartphone and the sky or use a flashlight. If you want your pupil to remain dilated as much as possible, it takes about 15 minutes for the iris to actually open.
• Bring a comfy chair, a warm blanket, and a loved one.
• Check out NASA “Spot the Station” site See if the International Space Station is visible from your location, and if so, check it out. that’s really cool.