This weekend, it may be possible to see the Orionid meteor shower – associated with the Halley’s Comet – as it is set to reach its peak. Although the shower has been visible since October 2 and will go on till November 7, it is expected to reach its peak on Friday night and early Saturday morning.
The Orionids is an annual meteor shower that is caused by debris left behind by Halley’s Comet burning up in the Earth’s atmosphere.
According to Nasa’s Bill Cooke, the meteor shower can be visible from anywhere on Earth, Newsweek reported. “The Orionids are very egalitarian,” he said. “It doesn’t matter where on Earth you are, you can pretty much see them.”
Along with the Orionids, the “Dog Star” Sirius, constellations like Orion, Gemini, and Taurus, and the planets Jupiter and Venus, can also be seen. As the meteor shower originates from Orion’s belt, which is just over the equator, it will be visible in both hemispheres, Cooke said.
In 2014, he had said that the Orionid meteor shower, though not the strongest, “is one of the most beautiful showers of the year”. Stargazers will not require a telescope to see it.
Some years, stargazers can see up to 80 meteors per hour during the shower’s peak, according to Inverse. However, this year’s is likely to be much fewer, the report said. The space rocks will hurtle earthwards at speeds of over 2,38,180 km per hour.
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