Orionids, the meteor shower originating from the famous Halley’s Comet, are currently visible in the night sky. Skygazers are in for a treat this Halloween as the spectacular meteor shower will soon reach its peak, creating a beautiful spectacle.
The Orionid meteor shower will see several bright meteors shooting across the night sky at an extremely fast pace. It is considered by astronomers to be one of the most beautiful meteor showers to grace the skies.
As per NASA, the meteors enter the Earth’s atmosphere at an astonishing speed of about 148,000 mph at their peak. The debris left behind creates a beautiful trail that lasts for several seconds and sometimes even for a few minutes.
You can also be treated to spectacular fireballs if they move at an even faster speed, NASA says.
Best time to watch the Orionids
The Orionid meteor shower started on Sep 26 but will reach peak activity this weekend, specifically on Oct 20 and 21, that is Sunday and Monday, according to the American Meteor Society.
Experts say you should be glued to the sky from midnight to dawn to catch the best view. After peaking on these days, the meteor shower will continue to rain down till Nov 22. However, the intensity of the shower will keep reducing in the coming days.
During its peak, it can produce 20-30 shooting stars every hour. However, this can also go up to 50-75 sometimes. This happened between 2006 and 2009 when the Orionids sent shooting stars equal to those produced by the Perseids.
Orionids meteor shower in India
The meteor shower will also be visible in India. However, you’ll need to go to a place where there is no light pollution and the skies appear really dark. Ladakh is touted as one of the best places to catch a meteor shower in the country.
How to watch the Orionids
Clear and dark skies are the ideal scenario to spot the meteor shower. Try and go far away from all the light pollution. Keep your eyes glued to the skies and wait at least half an hour, because it will take that much time to start seeing them.
Do not use binoculars or a telescope as they might hamper your view.
The meteor shower derives its name from the Orion constellation, but experts suggest not to look towards it if you wish to see the shooting stars.
A nearly-full bright waning gibbous moon is currently shining which might make it difficult to spot the shooting stars, NASA says. However, you should still be able to see some of them moving at “41 miles per second in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres”.
Halley’s Comet
The most famous comet to visit Earth has an average cycle of 72 years. The last time it was visible was in 1986. It reached its farthest point from the sun on Dec 9 last year and has already started its return trip towards us. However, the wait is quite long as it will reach us by 2061. It will come much closer to Earth than it did last time.