The annual Orionid Meteor Shower will provide another fine display of celestial fireworks for skywatchers during the early morning hours of October 21st. The window of opportunity for having a dark sky in which to see these “shooting stars” occurs soon after the 9-day-old Moon goes down around 1:30 a.m. EDT and before the Sun comes up. So plan to head to bed early the night before and set your alarm accordingly; losing some sleep to get up in the wee hours for a meteor watch will definitely be well worth it!
Given clear skies on the morning of October 21st, observers will be treated to one of the year’s most reliable displays of shooting stars — the Orionids. Peak activity occurs around 5 a.m. EDT, with as many as 25 meteors an hour being visible under good conditions. While not one of the richer showers, it’s radiant (the point from which the meteors appear to “shoot”) is located in a glorious part of the heavens — that of magnificent Orion! The actual point lies between Betelgeuse in the Hunter’s shoulder and (this year) nearby Mars, with both sentries glowing a brilliant ruddy-orange in hue.
Continue reading ‘The Orionid Meteor Shower’
