It’s October, also known as spooky month, and time for one of the best meteor showers to visit Earth every year: the Orionids. Despite not getting as much love as the Quadrantids or Perseids, the Orionids meteor shower is still one of the prettiest. It starts on Oct. 2 and runs through the second week of November.
When Earth moves through the long, debris-strewn tails of a large comet, the debris falls to Earth in the form of meteors, which we refer to as meteor showers. The Orionids meteor shower occurs courtesy of the 1P/Halley comet, known colloquially as Halley’s Comet. Another meteor shower Earth experiences thanks to Halley’s comet is the Eta Aquariids, which occurs in April and May.
The Orionids is also one of the longest-running major meteor showers, lasting more than a month and a half (most meteor showers last weeks or up to a month).
When is the best time to view Orionids?
The Orionids is predicted to peak on the evening of Oct. 20 and the morning of Oct. 21. The meteor shower is noted for its bright, fast-traveling meteors, which leave trails in the sky that can last several seconds and up to a couple of minutes.
In terms of time, most experts agree that the show should be at its best between midnight and dawn. For early risers, your best bet is to get out there before the sun rises.
Where should I look to see the Orionids?
The Orionids are named after the Orion constellation. All meteor showers are named for the constellation from which they appear to originate. This point, referred to as the radiant, is where you’ll want to look at the sky.
In the US, the constellation will rise above the eastern horizon at around midnight local time. Over the course of the evening, it’ll streak over to the southern section of the sky, where it’ll eventually be drowned out by the sun at sunrise. If you’re able to spot Jupiter, which will also be visible that night, Orion is right next to it. If you’re having trouble, websites like Stellarium have free sky maps that you can use for reference.
Tips for viewing Orionids
According to NASA, the Orionids meteor shower is expected to shoot off 10 to 20 meteors per hour in perfect conditions. Your best bet at getting a good show is to achieve perfect conditions as much as you can.
Your enemy is light pollution, so you’ll want to get as far away from the city and suburbs as possible. Since Orion is in the eastern sky, leaving town by traveling east will ensure you don’t have light pollution in your view while trying to watch. You may see a couple of streaks of light in the suburbs and city, but it’s far less likely.
October’s spectacular supermoon will be long gone by the third week of this month, so you won’t have to contend with what will be one of the brightest moons of the year. The only other variable is weather, which you don’t have any control over.
Once you escape light pollution, simply sit yourself down and watch the eastern and southern skies. The meteors will be visible without the use of magnification.
Orionids brought friends
While the Orionids is the biggest meteor shower of the month, two others will also make an appearance.
The Draconids meteor shower, one of the shortest meteor showers at just four days, is happening between Oct. 6 and Oct. 10, with the peak occurring on Oct. 8. The Northern Taurids start on Oct. 13 and run through the beginning of December. You’ll have to wait until November to see the peak for that one.
