Orionid Meteor Shower 2021

The Orionid meteor shower originates from Comet Halley. The comet has been observed since ancient times. Comet Halley (1P/Halley) is the most famous comet and the first short-period comet confirmed to return to the Solar System periodically. It is named after the English astronomer Edmond Halley. In 1705, Halley found that three comets reported in 1531, 1607 and 1682 had similar orbits and proposed that they were in fact the same object, returning close to the Sun and becoming visible from Earth about every 74–76 years. He then predicted that it would return in 1758. Unfortunately, Halley died in 1742, before the comet reappeared.

As this comet travels close to the Sun, it leaves behind a trail of debris: small meteoroids spread out in space that cross Earth’s orbit. As Earth moves around the Sun, it passes through this stream of debris at certain times each year. When these particles enter Earth’s atmosphere at very high speed, they heat up through friction with the air and burn, creating the streaks of light we call meteors.

The Orionids are active from October 2 – November 7, 2021, peaking on the night of October 21 and the morning of October 22 with up to 20 meteors per hour under ideal conditions.

This meteor shower is best observed if you are patient and watch from after midnight until just before dawn, from a dark location far from city lights. You don’t need special equipment such as a telescope or binoculars, just your naked eyes and good weather! The radiant of this meteor shower is in the constellation Orion, but meteors can appear anywhere in the sky.