Orionid Meteors
The Orionid meteor shower is at its best this weekend. The Moon clears out as the shower really gets going, so as long as the weather cooperates, you should have a pretty good view.
The shower is named for the constellation Orion, which climbs into view by around midnight. If you traced the paths of the meteors, they'd all appear to start in Orion. But that doesn't mean you have to look at Orion to see the meteors -- they can streak across any part of the sky.
Meteor showers are pretty fickle -- their best showings can vary by several hours from year to year.
That's because a meteor shower occurs when Earth crosses the orbital path of a comet. Such a path is littered with tiny grains of rock and dust from the comet itself. As Earth flies through this trail of dust, the particles slam into our atmosphere and burn up, forming the bright streaks of light known as meteors.
But the dust isn't distributed evenly. It forms clumps of different sizes. Over the years, meteor watchers have plotted many of the clumps, but there's still some uncertainty. So it's tough to be certain about just what hour is the best, and just how many meteors you'll see.
This year's Orionid's are expected to be at their best tomorrow morning. The best view comes after the Moon drops from view, after midnight. At the peak, you might see a dozen or so meteors per hour. But to be sure, you'll have to head outside under a dark sky, and find out for yourself.
Script by Damond Benningfield, Copyright 2007
For more skywatching tips, astronomy news, and much more, read StarDate magazine.
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