The annual Orionid meteor shower reaches its peak this week, offering the chance to see fragments of the most famous comet of all streaking across the night sky. The Orionids occur every October as Earth passes through a stream of dust left behind by Halley’s comet. As these tiny particles plunge into Earth’s atmosphere at about 66 kilometres per second, they heat the surrounding air and produce the fleeting streaks of light that we call meteors.
This year, the shower is expected to reach its peak during the night of 21–22 October. Under ideal conditions, observers may see between 10 and 20 Orionid meteors per hour. Unfortunately, conditions this year are not ideal because of the presence of a bright waxing gibbous Moon.
This will drown out many of the fainter meteors. Nevertheless, conditions improve during the early hours of the morning. The moon sets at about , leaving a few hours of darker sky before dawn, just as Orion is climbing high into the sky.
Find a safe location with as wide a view of the heavens as possible and simply watch with the naked eye. The chart shows the view looking south-east from London at midnight as 21 becomes 22 October. The Orionids appear to radiate from a point near Orion.
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