Get ready to have a neck ache this weekend from looking into the sky when the Orionid meteor shower makes its return and hits peak visibility Thursday night into Friday morning.
According to NASA, the meteor shower is made up of fragments of space debris and dust trails from Halley’s Comet, which last passed Earth in 1986 and isn’t planned to return until 2061.
The Orionid meteor shower is named after the Orion constellation due to its appearance in space near the cluster of stars that make up the belt of Orion.
NASA researchers shared that every time Halley’s Comet returns to the inner part of our solar system, it scatters leftover comet particles. Every year, Earth passes through trails of the debris, resulting in the Aquarids meteor shower every May and the Orionids meteor shower every October.
For those wanting to peer into the nighttime sky and see the space spectacle, the best time to view the meteor shower is after dark. NASA recommends finding an area away from the city and street lights to view the show.
“Lie flat on your back with your feet facing southeast if you are in the Northern Hemisphere or northeast if you are in the Southern Hemisphere, and look up, taking in as much of the sky as possible. In less than 30 minutes in the dark, your eyes will adapt and you will begin to see meteors,” NASA said on its meteor page. “Be patient – the show will last until dawn, so you have plenty of time to catch a glimpse.”
There are expected to be 10 to 20 meteors an hour, according to EarthSky.org. The meteors often leave persistent trains and sometimes produce bright fireballs.
The shower won’t end after Friday morning, as the meteor shower is expected to continue into November. However, Thursday night will be the best time to see the space rocks.
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