Orionids: How to see the Halley’s comet meteor shower this weekend

The Orionid meteor shower began this yr on 2 October and can end on 7 November, however its peak ought to be on the night time of 21 October, with the brightest meteors in the early hours of the morning. It is considered one of the most reliably energetic annual meteor showers and ought to be seen throughout the world. As lengthy as you possibly can see the Orion constellation, also called the hunter, you stand a very good probability of a spectacular show. With the moon solely partly illuminated throughout this interval, round 20 meteors an hour ought to be seen in clear skies.

What are meteor showers?

Meteors are the flashes of sunshine that happen when particles enters our environment and heats up so quickly that it emits intense shiny gentle. They usually occur at random, however when Earth passes by a cloud of particles from a comet, many extra meteors could be seen over consecutive days or perhaps weeks, relying on the measurement of the cloud.

Why are they known as the Orionids?

The Orionids are named for the undeniable fact that they seem to come from the Orion constellation, however these faraway stars don’t have anything to do with the manufacturing of the meteors themselves. The flashes are literally items of particles from Halley’s comet, which visits Earth’s neighborhood round as soon as each 75 years and was final seen in 1986. While recognizing the comet itself is a uncommon prevalence, Earth swings by its particles subject yearly.

How can I watch the Orionids?

You will probably be at the mercy of the climate to an extent. Assuming you will have clear skies, attempt to discover someplace with minimal gentle air pollution and keep away from utilizing a torch or the gentle out of your telephone in order that your eyes alter to the darkish. The highest price of meteors will probably be after midnight and earlier than daybreak.

Orionid meteors ought to be seen throughout the total night time sky, however they’ll seem to radiate from the Orion constellation due to the angle that Earth strikes by the comet’s tail. Each meteor will solely final a couple of seconds and can shoot throughout the sky — don’t get them confused with satellites, which is able to transfer easily throughout the sky for for much longer durations.

How do I discover Orion?

Orion is considered one of the simpler constellations to spot as a result of it’s made up of many shiny stars and is according to Earth’s equator, which makes it seen from virtually wherever in the world for no less than some components of the yr. In the northern hemisphere, you possibly can see Orion from September, however it’s most evident between January and March.

The clearest function of Orion is a straight line of three shiny stars that type the hunter’s belt. These stars are known as Alnitak, Alnilam and Mintaka, and are pretty evenly spaced and of comparable brightness. Once you suppose you will have discovered the belt, you possibly can search for different shiny stars that make up Orion, like Rigel, the sixth-brightest star in the sky, which ought to be at the backside proper in the northern hemisphere, or Betelgeuse, a faintly pink star that will probably be at Orion’s prime left shoulder in the northern hemisphere. In the southern hemisphere, their positions are flipped, with Rigel in the prime left and Betelgeuse the backside proper.

What is Halley’s comet?

Halley’s comet is a 15-kilometre broad ball of mud and ice that passes by Earth roughly each 75 years. It is a short-period comet, outlined as having an orbit round Earth that takes lower than 200 years. The comet was final seen in February 1986, and it’s due to return in July 2061.

Scientists suppose that comets like Halley’s originated in the far reaches of the photo voltaic system, akin to in the icy Oort cloud. Over time, the gravity of the solar and the planets has pulled comets like Halley’s on an orbit in direction of the centre of the photo voltaic system.