Rain, clouds to disrupt viewing in parts of Asia as Orionids reach peak early next week
By
Maura Kelly, AccuWeather meteorologist
Published Oct 17, 2019 4:15 PM EDT
Mark the night of Oct. 21-22 on your calendar. There will be shooting stars, and plenty of them with the peak of the Orionid meteor shower. The meteors are dust and debris left behind by the famous Halley's comet.
Some areas across Asia may get enough of a break in cloud cover to view one of the best meteor showers of the year as it reaches its peak early this week.
The Orionid meteor shower has been ongoing through much of the month of October as Earth passes through the debris path caused by Halley's Comet. The peak of this shower will occur Monday night, Oct. 21, into early Tuesday morning, Oct 22.
On average, the Orionids produce 10 to 20 meteors per hour, but that number can increase to 20 to 25 meteors per hour on the peak night.
“In exceptional years, such as 2006-2009, the peak rates were on par with the Perseids (50-75 per hour),” the American Meteor Society (AMS) said.
The best time to see the Orionid meteors will be after 11 p.m. local time after the constellation Orion rises above the horizon. This is because the shower’s radiant point, or point of origin, is located near the constellation. The higher the radiant point is in the sky, the higher the hourly rates of meteors per hour.
But you will not need to look directly at Orion as meteors will be visible in all parts of the sky.
On Monday night, the best viewing conditions are expected to be across northeastern China and the Korean Peninsula as well as far southwestern China into northern India and Pakistan as areas of high pressure promote largely clear skies across these regions.
However, cloud cover will not be the only factor that can hinder viewing conditions late Monday night and into early Tuesday morning.
The moon will be about 50% illuminated on the peak night as it will reach the last quarter phase early on Monday.
Meanwhile, Neoguri, currently a typhoon tracking just east of the Ryukyu Islands, will be near southern Japan. The storm will bring plenty of clouds as well as periods of heavy rain to the region.
Another storm system will bring poor viewing conditions to a large portion of China.
Once afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms dissipate over Myanmar, Thailand and Laos, clouds may clear enough for onlookers to catch some meteors through the late night.
Viewers will not have much luck in central and southern India as monsoonal moisture will produce a fairly thick cloud cover, blocking much of the sky across the region.
Monday night will not be the last chance to see the Orionids as the meteor shower continues until Nov. 7.
Four more meteor showers will reach their peak during the next couple of months. This includes the Geminids in mid-December, which can regularly feature over 100 meteors per hour.
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News / Weather News
Rain, clouds to disrupt viewing in parts of Asia as Orionids reach peak early next week
By Maura Kelly, AccuWeather meteorologist
Published Oct 17, 2019 4:15 PM EDT
Mark the night of Oct. 21-22 on your calendar. There will be shooting stars, and plenty of them with the peak of the Orionid meteor shower. The meteors are dust and debris left behind by the famous Halley's comet.
Some areas across Asia may get enough of a break in cloud cover to view one of the best meteor showers of the year as it reaches its peak early this week.
The Orionid meteor shower has been ongoing through much of the month of October as Earth passes through the debris path caused by Halley's Comet. The peak of this shower will occur Monday night, Oct. 21, into early Tuesday morning, Oct 22.
On average, the Orionids produce 10 to 20 meteors per hour, but that number can increase to 20 to 25 meteors per hour on the peak night.
“In exceptional years, such as 2006-2009, the peak rates were on par with the Perseids (50-75 per hour),” the American Meteor Society (AMS) said.
The best time to see the Orionid meteors will be after 11 p.m. local time after the constellation Orion rises above the horizon. This is because the shower’s radiant point, or point of origin, is located near the constellation. The higher the radiant point is in the sky, the higher the hourly rates of meteors per hour.
But you will not need to look directly at Orion as meteors will be visible in all parts of the sky.
On Monday night, the best viewing conditions are expected to be across northeastern China and the Korean Peninsula as well as far southwestern China into northern India and Pakistan as areas of high pressure promote largely clear skies across these regions.
However, cloud cover will not be the only factor that can hinder viewing conditions late Monday night and into early Tuesday morning.
The moon will be about 50% illuminated on the peak night as it will reach the last quarter phase early on Monday.
Meanwhile, Neoguri, currently a typhoon tracking just east of the Ryukyu Islands, will be near southern Japan. The storm will bring plenty of clouds as well as periods of heavy rain to the region.
Another storm system will bring poor viewing conditions to a large portion of China.
Once afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms dissipate over Myanmar, Thailand and Laos, clouds may clear enough for onlookers to catch some meteors through the late night.
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Viewers will not have much luck in central and southern India as monsoonal moisture will produce a fairly thick cloud cover, blocking much of the sky across the region.
Monday night will not be the last chance to see the Orionids as the meteor shower continues until Nov. 7.
Four more meteor showers will reach their peak during the next couple of months. This includes the Geminids in mid-December, which can regularly feature over 100 meteors per hour.
Report a Typo