Annual Orionid meteor showers to light up the sky

Orionid meteor showers will light up the sky early Sunday morning.

October 21, 2017

Felicia Nkhwashu 1 minute read

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) has confirmed that the 2017 Orionid meteor shower will light up the sky between midnight and dawn of 21-22 October.

Orionids are an annual meteor shower which last approximately one week in late October.

According to Nasa the meteors in the Orionid meteor shower are formed from the debris of Halley’s Comet and are known for being bright and quick.

NASA says that viewers can expect to see up to 20 meteors an hour during the peak of the shower.

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Though the meteors will emanate from the eastern horizon, they will streak across the entire sky and will be visible from anywhere on earth.

But the fast-moving meteors in the Orionid shower can produce occasional bright fireballs and can leave “persistent trains” lingering briefly in the sky.

The viewers can enjoy watching the Orionid meteor showers with their naked eyes as it requires no special object to view.

Be dazzled by the Orionid meteor shower, peaking Oct 20-21! Watch before dawn in a dark area. May see ~20 meteors/hr https://t.co/skIudgju38 pic.twitter.com/yuCD8MZVi1

— NASA (@NASA) October 21, 2017

Ready for the #weekend, explorers? There are two awesome events taking place – planet #Uranus being visible, and the #OrionidMeteorShower! ✨ pic.twitter.com/ODm7YnXkqC

— Professor Astro Cat (@ProfAstroCat) October 20, 2017

Faint #Orionid #meteor while taking a picture of the Pleiades star cluster tonight. #OrionidMeteorShower #space pic.twitter.com/tS1l3VINjY

— Roger Porter Photography (@Rogerpp397) October 21, 2017

Anyone else looking forward to watching for the #Orionids this weekend? I'm definitely planning to stay up late! #OrionidMeteorShower

— Cat the ScienceTutor (@CatScienceTutor) October 20, 2017