An annual cosmic display of light is set to reach peak visibility after midnight tonight, seen across the southwest and far beyond.
The Orionids meteor shower, caused by the debris of an infamous comet, is a phenomenon that’s active each year from October 2 to November 12 and has dazzled the world for centuries.
According to the Planetary Society, the meteor shower will be visible in dark sky locations in both hemispheres near the constellation of Orion the Hunter, and the best time to view meteor showers is between midnight and pre-dawn.
The meteor shower boasts an average of around 10-20 meteors per hour, although the Orionids have been recorded as producing up to 50-75 meteors per hour at peak rates in 2006-2009.
The Orionids were born from the debris of Halley’s Comet, or 1P/Halley. Halley’s Comet, named in the early 1700s after Edmond Halley, is only visible from Earth every 76 years and won’t return to the skies until 2061.
This year, a new moon occurs tonight as well, resulting in no lunar interference for an ideal atmosphere to view the meteor shower.
Anyone interested in more information can check out the American Meteor Society’s website or the Planetary Society’s website.
(Photo by Neil Zeller)