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Orionid meteor shower to peak in Essex skies tonight

Summarised from 3 outlets · Updated 21 Oct, 18:58 · Archive

The Orionid meteor shower will peak in the early hours of Thursday morning, with up to 20 meteors visible per hour from Essex.

The Orionid meteor shower will peak in the early hours of Thursday morning across Essex, with between 10 and 20 meteors visible per hour. The shower is caused by small pieces of comet debris from Halley's comet burning as they enter Earth's atmosphere. Friction with the atmosphere creates the bright streaks of light that observers see.

Orhionids travel at about 41 miles per second and can produce long glowing trails and fireballs. The meteors appear to come from the constellation Orion, near the star Betelgeuse, a point called the radiant. However, viewers should look slightly away from the radiant because meteors are easier to see there.

No specialist equipment is needed to view the shower—the meteors can be seen with the naked eye. Clear skies are essential, though cloud and rain could block the display in some areas. People are advised to choose a dark place with a wide view of the sky, away from street and city lights. Eyes should be allowed to adjust to darkness for about 20 minutes before watching.

Between midnight and dawn, Orion will climb higher in the southern and south-western sky. A waxing gibbous Moon will add light on Wednesday night, which may reduce visibility slightly. However, conditions should improve after the Moon sets at around 3am on Thursday morning, when viewing conditions will be best.

Orionid meteor shower to peak in Essex skies tonight
Image: Brentwood Guardian

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In this story: Essex · Halley's comet · Orion

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