One of the best meteor showers will be visible tonight
Go outside, find a dark spot and look north-east near the constellation of Orion for the Orionids radiant
South Africans will be able to see one of the year’s best space shows tonight: the peak of the Orionid meteor shower.
NASA astronomers say the shower should be visible on Saturday, with the best viewing between midnight and dawn, from anywhere on earth.
Orionids meteor streams are groups of meteoroids originating from dust grains ejected from Comet 1P Halley. These small dust grains (meteoroids) are distributed along the parent comet’s orbit concentrated close to the comet nucleus with fewer grains farther away from the nucleus.
Every time the Earth passes through this stream of dust particles, we experience what is known as an Orionids meteor shower.
These brief streaks of light from meteors, sometimes called “shooting stars”, will peak on Saturday night the hen earth moves through the centre of the dust trail left behind by the comet.
How to view the Orionids
Go outside, find a dark spot and look north-east near the constellation of Orion for the Orionids radiant.
Meteor showers are strictly for night owls or early risers. The best time to view the Orionids is from around midnight to dawn. They are fast and sometimes bright with some trains. You should be able to see 15 streaks an hour or more during the peak.
Debris from Halley’s comet will form one of the brightest meteor showers of the year in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Called the Orionid meteor shower, the debris passes Earth from October to mid-November — but this year it’s most visible tonight from 2-5am.
