Orionid meteor shower is peaking this week. Here’s what to know

Sky-gazers worldwide will see a superb celestial show this week because the Orionid meteor shower peppers the sky in vibrant trails of sunshine.

The meteor shower, which is often identified to produce fireballs, is set to peak at 8 p.m. ET Monday, in accordance to EarthSky.

The Orionids don’t have a pointy peak, “so if you happen to get clouded out on that night, don’t despair,” mentioned Robert Lunsford, fireball report coordinator for the American Meteor Society. “Head on out the next night, next couple nights even, and you’ll see almost the same activity.”

This 12 months, the Orionids peak similtaneously a brand new moon, when the darkish facet of the satellite tv for pc is going through Earth, in accordance to The Old Farmer’s Almanac, so the intense meteors received’t be competing with moonlight.

Under clear climate circumstances, you may anticipate to see 10 to 20 meteors per hour.

The Orionids are fast-moving meteors, and “most of them are just a fraction of a second,” Lunsford mentioned. “The brighter ones do produce persistent trains, which are smoke trails after the meteor has disappeared.”

If you’re fortunate, you might glimpse multiple meteor shower as a result of the Southern Taurids are additionally energetic, anticipated to peak November 4-5 across the time of a full moon.

The Orionid meteors shoot forth from the Orion constellation, whereas the Taurids, that are a lot slower, originate farther west in Taurus “It’s kind of like they’re doing battle,” Lunsford mentioned. “Slow meteors are shooting eastward toward Orion, and fast ones are shooting westward toward Taurus.”

For finest viewing, look towards the southern sky and plan to be outdoors at round 10 p.m. Monday evening or 4 to 5 a.m. Tuesday morning in your native time, Lunsford suggested.

The Orionid meteor shower happens when Earth passes by way of particles left over from the comet 1P/Halley, in accordance to NASA.

“Halley’s comet actually crosses Earth’s orbit twice,” defined Lunsford. It enters Earth’s orbit in October, producing the Orionids, and exits in early May, inflicting a shower generally known as the Eta Aquariid, he added.

Halley’s comet was final seen from Earth in 1986. The comet’s orbital interval is round 76 years, so scientists anticipate it to reappear in our sky in 2061, in accordance to NASA.

Here are the height dates of different meteor showers anticipated this 12 months, in accordance to the American Meteor Society and EarthSky.