Notice to astronomy enthusiasts! If you like to spend hours looking at the stars, don’t miss the Orionids shooting star shower which will take place this evening, as soon as night falls.
Contrary to what one might think, shooting star showers do not only occur in summer, but throughout the year. If you like to admire this phenomenon, good news: the Orionid shower of shooting stars will light up the sky until November 7.
This is one of the most beautiful showers of shooting stars of the year. Orionid meteors are known for their brightness and speed. According to Science and Futurethey can cross the sky at 66 km/s and leave a big golden trail behind them.
20 shooting stars per hour
Orionid shooting stars form when debris from Comet Halley comes into contact with Earth’s atmosphere. They burn and leave behind a long golden trail. This year, the peak of activity will take place this evening, during the night of Monday October 21 to Tuesday October 22. It will be possible to observe around twenty shooting stars per hour.
“Meteors come from the leftover particles of comets and broken pieces of asteroids. As comets orbit the Sun, the dust they emit gradually spreads into a dust trail around their orbits. Every time Halley returns to the inner solar system, its core spews ice and rock dust into space. The dust grains eventually become the Orionids in October and the Eta Aquarids in May if they collide with Earth’s atmosphere.explains NASA.
If the Orionids are so called, it is because the shooting stars seem to come from the constellation Orion. However, they can be seen all over the sky. To enjoy the show, move away from light pollution, let your eyes adjust to the darkness, take warm clothes and make a wish!
