Remnants of Halley's Comet Back in the Skies

The annual Orionid meteor shower is peaking
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 21, 2019 10:45 AM CDT
Meteor Shower Is Peaking. For Directions, Ask Betelgeuse
File photo of an Orionid meteor.   (Getty/Kazushi_Inagaki)

The annual Orionid meteor shower is back, and night owls should get a peek Monday and Tuesday night. Space.com recommends trying between 11pm and 12:30am local on Monday night, and from 11pm until 1:30am on Tuesday night. Under the best of circumstances, sky watchers can see between 10 and 20 streaks per hour, though the moon might reduce visibility somewhat this year. The meteor shower—remnants of Halley's Comet—radiate from the Orion constellation, though you don't need to know its location to enjoy the show, notes EarthSky. Just look up and keep an eye out for streaks because they'll appear in all parts of the sky.

However, if you happen to spot one and trace its path, you'll likely find that it came from the general area of Orion's club in the constellation. Both sites note that the "ruddy" star Betelgeuse is in Orion, and the meteors appear to originate to the north of that star. These are just the peak nights for the Orionids, meaning that sky watchers might still catch the occasional streak until around Oct. 26, possibly even later. Orionid meteors tend to be on the dim side, so a spot in the country, away from city lights, is ideal. (More Orionid meteor shower stories.)

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