Orionid meteor shower continues tonight
The Orionid meteor shower continues tonight! The shower produced upwards of 20 meteors per hour last night. Tonight could be even more active.
The Orionids are actually made up of debris from Halley's comet. Even though the comet visits the inner solar system only every 76 years, it left behind enough debris to produce this shower year in, year out.
The best time to view the Orionids is after midnight, through dawn.
My best advice, if you are serious about seeing meteors, is to give yourself an hour. Set yourself up in a lounge chair. Leave your phone inside. DO NOT LOOK AT ANY SOURCE OF LIGHT FOR AN HOUR, INCLUDING PHONES!! Lay back and get as much of the sky in your view as possible, and just... wait. You will be guaranteed to see some if you follow these guidelines.
Sarah Ansani shot this Orioinid meteor last night in central PA.
We are lucking out this year. The Orionids will be occurring with no moonlight! Also, temperatures will be rather mild compared to normal across most of the United States and Canada.
Hawaii and Alaska
This shower will be visible worldwide. So, let's take a look out conditions outside of the U.S.
Europe Viewing Conditions
South America Tonight
Australia (Saturday night)
Asia (Saturday night)
Enjoy your time outside! Not too many things are free anymore. However, looking at the night sky is still one of those things. Thanks for reading! Just look up; you never know what you will see.
Report a Typo
