If you happen to be an early riser, you might get lucky enough to see some shooting stars as the Orionid meteor shower is peaking this week.
The Orionid meteor shower, also known as the Orionids, occurs as the Earth passes through a stream of dusty debris from the Halley's Comet. The well-known comet, named after astronomer Edmund Halley, is visible from Earth every 75 to 76 years. The Orionids are so-called because they appear to come from the constellation Orion.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) said that the event happens each year around this time from mid to late October. The meteor shower is anticipated to be spectacular this year because the moon will be a narrow crescent during the peak of the shower.
If you're looking forward to make some wish on a shooting star, here's a tip: set up your alarm and wake up hours before sunrise on Oct. 21 as the Orionids peak on this date. NASA said that the predawn sky will have a display of beautiful shooting stars at this time on Tuesday.
The tiny lunar sliver is not also expected to rise before 5 a.m., which means that the sky will be dark enough for skygazers to enjoy the show. About 20 to 30 meteors are expected to appear every hour, or about one every few minutes before dawn on Tuesday.
"We expect to see about 20 meteors per hour when the shower peaks on Tuesday morning, Oct 21st," said NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office head Bill Cooke. "With no Moon to spoil the show, observing conditions should be ideal."
More meteors can be seen when the Orion is higher in the sky so the best time to watch the Orionids starts from between 1 and 2 in the morning when the constellation is highest above the horizon.
Rural dwellers have the upper hand when it comes to seeing the meteor show though because the meteors are typically dim and may either be faint or cannot be seen from urban areas. Watching the meteor shower in a safe rural location would be a good idea.
For the less adventurous who have constrained views because of light pollution and cloudy skies, watching the Orionids meteor shower online can also be an option. NASA will stream the event live starting 10 pm EDT on Oct. 20. Slooh will also stream the meteor shower starting at 8 pm EDT.
