Get ready for a great show in the sky this weekend! Every year in mid-to-late October, the Earth passes through a stream of dusty debris from Halley’s Comet. The picture below is from Wednesday night over the Bay Area in California area where hundreds of residents reported hearing a loud boom, explosions and streaks of light. Experts say it was debris from Halley’s Comet that caused all the excitement. The Orionid meteor shower is set to peak Saturday night into Sunday morning.
"We expect to see about 25 meteors per hour when the shower peaks on Sunday morning, Oct 21st," says Bill Cooke, the head of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office. "With no Moon to spoil the show, observing conditions should be ideal."
The weather should also make it perfect for viewing the meteor shower with a mainly clear sky. Make sure to head outside a few hours before sunrise this Sunday morning when the sky is dark and the constellation Orion is high overhead. Lie down on a blanket and stare up at the sky. Even though the best chance to view them is near the shoulder of Orion, they can be found across the entire night sky.
“Since 2006, the Orionids have been one of the best showers of the year, with counts in some years up to 60 or more meteors per hour,” NASA’s Cooke said.
