Orionid Meteor Showers to Peak Under Clear Skies Tonight

A crisp October weekend is ahead under mostly sunny skies with daytime temperatures close to 60 degrees and nighttime lows dropping into the 40s. The storm system which brought the rain and wind earlier this week has moved away, and high pressure will control our weather through Sunday. One of our viewers sent this photo of a beautiful pumpkin.

The weather should be just about perfect for pumpkin picking, taking a hay ride, watching a high school football game, or viewing the Orionid meteor showers. In fact, this year's Orionids show is scheduled to reach its maximum viewing just before sunrise tomorrow morning. The meteors are known as "Orionids" because the fireballs seem to fan out from a region to the north of Orion's second brightest star, Betelgeuse.

Currently, the constellation Orion appears ahead of the Earth in our annual journey around the Sun. The constellation does not completely rise above the Eastern horizon until after 11 p.m. local daylight time. At its best, several hours later around 5 a.m., Orion will be highest in the sky toward the South.

The Orionids are bits of debris shed long ago by Halley's Comet which the Earth intersects during its annual orbit around the Sun. The comet last came through the Solar System in 1985-86, and its nucleus shed a layer of dirty ice about six meters thick on average. During that time the dirt bits have spread all around Halley's orbit, which is why some of the particles now intersect the Earth even though the comet's orbit does not.

The Orionids typically produce around 20 to 25 meteors per hour under a clear, dark sky. Orionid meteors are normally dim and not well seen from urban locations, so you'd do best to find a safe rural location to see the most Orionid activity. After peaking tomorrow morning, activity will begin to slowly descend, dropping back to around five per hour by October 26. The last stragglers usually appear sometime in early to mid- November.

Across southwestern Connecticut, the meteor shower rises high in the Eastern sky, at least 45 degrees high, by 2 a.m. That's when the meteor activity begins to reach its peak. If you plan on watching the Orionids, find a dark spot with an open view of the sky. Sky and Telescope Magazine encourages viewers to "Arrange the chair so that any bright lights are behind you out of sight, bundle up, lie back, and watch the stars. Be patient."

Our weather should be just about perfect to see the Orionids tonight. We can expect clear skies and a waning crescent Moon late tonight. However, it will be quite chilly with low temperatures dropping into the 40s along the shoreline and possibly the upper 30s well inland. Make sure you dress warmly. I'll be outside watching the meteor showers, too.

Paul