Orionid meteor shower peaks tonight - Here's how to see it
The Orionid meteor shower, originating from Halley's Comet debris, peaks tonight, October 21-22, offering a second chance to see an October meteor shower. Viewers can expect up to 20 meteors per hour, with best viewing conditions between midnight and 2 a.m. ET, away from light pollution.
Why it matters
This article provides practical information for the public to observe a predictable and often spectacular natural astronomical event, fostering interest in science and the night sky.
It's your second chance to see an October meteor shower. The second annual meteor shower of October, the Orionids, is a fairly dependable meteor shower. The Orionids’ radiant is the constellation Orion, specifically its bright star Betelgeuse. The meteors of the Orionids come from the debris of the comet Halley, which passes near Earth about every 76 years, but delivers two meteor showers to Earth’s atmosphere per year — the Orionids in the fall and the Eta Aquarids in May. The previous meteor shower in October was the Draconids. The Orionids are known to be bright and fast, and the fall weather usually makes for ideal conditions to view them.
Headlinne story · 3 newsrooms
Orionid Meteor Shower Reaches Peak View Visibility Across Night Sky
What every outlet reported, where they differ, and how each framed it →
Also covering this story
3 other newsrooms covered this event. We read each version separately.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in