The Orionid Meteors have Arrived -

If you happen to be up before dawn on the morning of Tuesday, October 21, you may want to grab a jacket and head outside to watch the sky around the constellation Orion.  The annual Orionid Meteor Shower peaks today and tomorrow, and if your skies are dark and clear, you may catch a glimpse of a meteor streaking towards the earth.

 

The Orionid Meteor Shower is produced each year when the earth passes through the dusty debris trail left behind by Halley’s Comet.  As the earth passes through this debris field, the dust particles impact the atmosphere between 60 and 80 miles above the earth’s surface at nearly 160,000 miles per hour, causing the particles to glow brightly before burning up.

 

This year’s shower was originally forecast to be somewhat of a disappointment due to a bright moon hanging in the pre-dawn sky.  Observers this morning, however, witnessed as many as 15 meteors or more per hour, with some being reported as brighter than first magnitude stars.

 

The best way to view a meteor shower is to head to a dark area east of town, as city lights dim even the brightest of meteors, and look to the east.  A telescope or binoculars are not required - a meteor shower covers a very large portion of the sky.  Simply set up some comfortable chairs, face to the southeast and enjoy the show! 

 

So no matter where you are in the world tomorrow morning, wake your children or loved ones, fill your mugs with hot cocoa, head outside and look to the southeast.  It’s nice to get out and let the mind contemplate the universe we live in now and then.