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The Orionids meteor shower will peak on Wednesday and Thursday, with as many as 20 or so meteors per hour becoming visible in the night sky over Earth.
NASA advises that the best time to look for the meteor shower is just before sunrise on Thursday. At around 2 a.m. ET, observers will be able to look up into the night sky and watch the Orionids shoot across the sky at around 41 miles per second.
Viewing conditions this year are predicted to be excellent as the peak coincides with the October full moon, also known as the Hunter's Moon. Observers won't even need a telescope to spot the spectacular event.
To best view this meteor shower, which will be visible in both the Northern and Southern hemispheres, NASA advises budding astronomers to find an area away from city lights.
"Come prepared with a sleeping bag, blanket or lawn chair. Lie flat on your back with your feet facing southeast if you are in the Northern Hemisphere or northeast if you are in the Southern Hemisphere, and look up, taking in as much of the sky as possible," NASA says on its Solar System Exploration website. "In less than 30 minutes in the dark, your eyes will adapt and you will begin to see meteors. Be patient—the show will last until dawn, so you have plenty of time to catch a glimpse."
Anyone not willing to venture into the cold or experience unfavorable weather conditions, NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, will be livestreaming the event on October 21, beginning at 10 p.m. ET.
The Orionids meteor shower is an annual event as it arises as a result of Earth's passage around the sun. Each year, the orbit of Earth means our planet passes through a region of the solar system that is littered with debris from Halley's Comet. This peaks in mid-October when Earth passes through the densest cluster of debris.
"Meteors come from leftover comet particles and bits from broken asteroids. When comets come around the sun, the dust they emit gradually spreads into a dusty trail around their orbits," NASA says. "Every year the Earth passes through these debris trails, which allows the bits to collide with our atmosphere where they disintegrate to create fiery and colorful streaks in the sky."
Each time Halley's Comet returns to the inner solar system its nucleus sheds ice and dust that goes on to interact with Earth's atmosphere, creating what is considered the most beautiful meteor shower visible from the surface of our planet.
Halley's Comet last visited the inner solar system in 1986 and it won't return until 2061. The Orionids take their name from the constellation of Orion, to which they are closely located in the sky.
Because of the impressive speed they have while they streak through our atmosphere, they leave glowing trails that last from seconds to minutes. Particularly rapid Orionids can result in a "fireball" marked by a prolonged explosion of light.
This year, the annual Orionids meteor shower will be framed by some of the brightest stars in the night sky, making this event a double treat for astronomers.
