Stargazing: Orionid meteor shower to peak on Monday, continue through Nov. 7

Julie Silverman / Carnegie Science Center

As autumn leaves start drifting down, it’s time to look up for October’s annual Orionid meteor shower.

Now through Nov. 7, the shower will produce its gleaming streaks, although peak activity will occur in the early morning hours of Monday, Oct. 21.

Orionids appear to stream from a point near the constellation Orion the Hunter. To find the radiant point, look for the familiar three stars in a row that mark Orion’s belt.

Best displays are usually just before dawn, but the waning moon will be bright this time around, blocking out some of the blazing flashes. However, early morning observers will be treated to a conjunction of the moon and Jupiter. Giant Jupiter is rising earlier and getting brighter each night.

Look for the constellation Taurus the Bull, just west of Orion the Hunter. In the predawn hours of Oct. 21, the moon and Jupiter will adorn the tips of Taurus’ horns.

Meteor showers happen when Earth passes through dust debris of a comet. The Orionid shower itself originates with Halley’s comet remnants.

The comet sheds material on its regular trip through our solar system, heading around our sun approximately every 76 years. Earth passes through its debris trail on the inbound and outbound path, causing two meteor showers.

The Orionids decorate our October nights, while the Eta Aquarids meteor shower appears in early May.

— Julie Silverman, Carnegie Science Center