Peak of Orionid Meteor Shower Approaching: Your Guide to Spectacular Viewing

Over the next few days, if you're outside before dawn and spot a "shooting star," it's likely a fragment from Halley's Comet. The Orionid meteor shower, created by debris from the comet, will reach its peak this weekend.

The Orionid meteor shower is not as bright or reliable as other meteor showers like the December Geminids and August Perseids.

This year, the Orionid meteor shower is set to reach its maximum activity before sunrise on Sunday morning, October 22nd. Orion, a winter constellation, will be high in the south-southeastern sky between 4 and 5 a.m.

To see the most meteors, look about 30 degrees from the radiant (the point from which the meteors appear to originate) in the direction of the zenith (directly overhead). Concentrate your view about "three fists" up from Betelgeuse, which forms Orion's left shoulder.

Best times to watch

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The Orionid meteor shower is visible from October 16th to 26th, with peak activity of about 15 to 20 meteors per hour on the morning of October 22nd. The moon will not hinder visibility this year as it will set before prime viewing hours.

The best time to watch is between 1 or 2 a.m. until the first light of dawn, when Orion is highest above the southern horizon. These meteors can be seen equally well from both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

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For optimal viewing, it is recommended to find a safe rural location away from urban light pollution.

"They are easily identified ... from their speed," writes David Levy and Stephen Edberg in "Observe: Meteors." "At 66 kilometers per second, they appear as fast streaks, faster than their sisters, the Eta Aquarids of May. Fireballs are possible three days after maximum."

Halley's Comet: Cosmic litterbug

Comets are remnants of the early universe, consisting of simple gases that went unused during the formation of the sun and planets. When comets disintegrate, they release meteoroids that remain along the comet's orbit. Halley's Comet has left a legacy of two meteor showers, the Orionids being one of them.

Halley's Comet is currently on its elliptical path around the sun, with its next visit expected in the midsummer of 2061. The Orionids offer a chance to witness some of the cosmic debris left behind by the comet.

If you plan on photographing the Orionid meteor shower, check out our guide on how to capture meteors. If you'd like to share your photos with Space.com's readers, email them to spacephotos@space.com.

Joe Rao is an astronomy instructor and guest lecturer at the Hayden Planetarium in New York. He writes about astronomy for Natural History magazine, the Farmers' Almanac, and other publications.