Astrology

Orionid meteor shower peaks tonight with up to 20 meteors an hour forecast

The Orionid meteor shower reaches its peak overnight between Wednesday, October 21, and Thursday, October 22, with as many as 20 meteors an hour possible under dark skies, CNN reports. The shower forms as Earth passes through the debris trail left by Halley's comet, and this year's bright moon could dim the display, according to CNN.

NASA puts the possible rate at 10 to 20 shooting stars an hour under perfect dark-sky conditions, though the waxing moon, just four days from full, will likely hide fainter meteors, Space.com reports.

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Best viewing comes after midnight#

The meteors are best seen from midnight to dawn, with Orionids traveling at around 41 miles per second and leaving glowing trains that can last seconds to minutes, according to USA Today and CNN. The shower peaked at 2 p.m. ET Wednesday, CNN reports, meaning the overnight hours between Wednesday and Thursday offer the best window.

Space.com reports the waxing gibbous moon, four days from full, will set before dawn on October 22, giving sky-watchers a clearer stretch as the radiant near the star Betelgeuse in Orion climbs toward its highest point. The outlet advises against staring directly at the radiant, since trails there appear shorter than those 45 to 90 degrees away, an effect it calls foreshortening.

CNN reports the moon was 76% illuminated Wednesday night according to the American Meteor Society, with the full moon arriving October 26. BBC Sky at Night Magazine put the UK peak at 13:00 BST on October 21, calling the nights of October 20-21 and 21-22 the best chances to watch.

Weather clears for parts of the US#

Forecasters expect good viewing conditions across much of the central and eastern United States overnight Thursday, Yahoo reports, though thicker cloud cover could hamper the Four Corners region, an area known for dark sky parks. Parts of California, Oregon and Washington could also see clouds interfere, while a nor'easter brewing off the East Coast will linger into midweek, according to Yahoo. The shower runs from October 2 through November 7, according to The Independent.

The Orionids are one of two meteor showers tied to Halley's comet, officially designated 1P/Halley, which last passed through the inner solar system in 1986 and will not return until 2061, per Wikipedia and Space.com.

Named for the constellation Orion#

The meteors appear to radiate from a point near Orion, which gives the shower its name, though the streaks can appear anywhere in the sky, according to The Independent and CNN. Debris from Halley's comet also produces the Eta Aquariid shower each May, The Independent reports.

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