An incredible display of celestial fireworks may be visible overnight as debris left by Halley’s Comet streaks across the night sky – but the moon may end up ruining the view.
The Orionid meteor shower, which has been going on all month, peaks for several hours from midnight tonight, offering you the best possible chance, in theory, of seeing the spectacle for yourself.
What could I see?
The annual shower presents a dramatic light show, producing up to 25 meteors every hour until the early morning.
You’ll have seen some dazzling shots from observers in the past.
Observer of the Orionid shower catches a shot in 2017. Pic: Reuters
What is it?
The Orionid Meteor Shower that we’ll (hopefully) be seeing is a result of the Earth passing through debris of Halley’s Comet.
Each time that Halley returns to the inner solar system, its nucleus sheds ice and rocky dust into space. The dust grains eventually become the Orionids in October.
This happens because Halley’s Comet intersects Earth’s path twice every year due to the respective elliptical orbits around the sun.
It leaves behind the ice and rocky dust which, when they enter Earth’s atmosphere, become the Orionids, as well as the Eta Aquariid meteor show in May.
The phenomenon gets its name from the Orion constellation – which is one of the brightest groups of stars in the sky.
The meteoroids can travel at high speeds of 148,000mph through the Earth’s atmosphere and appear as vast streaks of light.
With the comet only swinging close enough to Earth to see it once every 75 to 76 years, this annual shower provides some compensation for those who may miss that rare event.
How can I see it?
The good news is that you can leave your high-powered telescope at home, because the meteor shower is visible to the…
