Night sky showcases weekend of wonders

Halley’s fragments will blaze overhead

Keep your eyes to the sky this weekend: You may be able to see one of the year’s best space shows — the peak of the Orionid meteor shower.

“The Orionids are popular among stargazers because all of its individual shooting stars are fragments of the most famous comet of all time, Halley’s Comet,” Slooh astronomer Bob Berman said.

The shower should be visible Friday and Saturday nights, and the best viewing will be from midnight to dawn.

Though the meteors will emanate from the eastern horizon, they will streak across the entire sky and will be visible from anywhere on Earth, according to NASA. By dawn, they should be high in the southern sky, Sky and Telescope said.

The meteors that streak across the sky are some of the fastest and brightest among meteor showers because the Earth is hitting the stream of particles almost head-on, according to Space.com.

As the comet moves through space, it leaves debris in its wake that strikes Earth’s atmosphere most fully around Oct. 20-22 each year. Although the comet is nowhere near Earth, we’re intersecting the comet’s orbit.

This year will be a good year for viewing the Orionids since the peak of the shower falls days after the new moon, meaning there will be little natural light pollution, AccuWeather said.

Another bonus: Skywatchers across the highly populated eastern U.S. should have clear skies for viewing the Orionids, according to AccuWeather meteorologist and astronomy blogger Dave Samuhel. Temperatures are also on the mild side.

Clear skies are also expected across much of the southwestern U.S., while clouds create issues for those trying to view the shower in the northwestern and central U.S., AccuWeather said.

If you miss this shower, you can still catch the Leonids in November and the Geminds in December.