The annual Orionid meteor shower has already started its show.
The Orionid meteor shower should produce the most meteors in 2024 on October 20 and 21. The best meteor shower may occur after midnight, between October 20 and 21.
The Orionid meteor shower
Predicted peak: This year the Orionids are scheduled to reach their maximum after midnight on Monday, October 21, 2024.
When to watch: Watch for Orionid meteors on both the morning of October 20 and the morning of 21, after midnight and in the wee hours before dawn.
Overall shower duration: September 26 to November 22.
Radiant: The radiant first appears before midnight and reaches its peak in the sky around 2 a.m.
Nearest moon phase: The closest moon phase is the Waning Gibbous Phase, which occurs on October 20.
Expected meteors at peak, under ideal conditions: The Orionids can produce up to 20 meteors per hour in a dark sky with no moon.
Note: These fast-moving meteors occasionally leave behind long-lasting trains. The Orionids occasionally produce bright fireballs.
The parent comet of the Orionid meteor shower
The Orionid meteors that we see are caused by Halley’s Comet. This comet orbits the Sun every 76 years or so, and like steam from a locomotive, dust particles are expelled from the comet’s nucleus and left behind in its path. Every year in late October, we cross this path. The comet’s nucleus loses between 3 and 10 feet (1 to 3 meters) of material with each passage through the inner solar system. It can handle eons of orbits around the sun and measures 5 by 9 miles (8 by 15 km).
Halley’s Comet is officially known as 1P/Halley. It was the first comet whose return was predicted, and Edmond Halley was the one who did the math. With observations dating back to 240 CE, the comet typically becomes bright enough to be seen. It is one of only a few comets named after the person who calculated its orbit rather than the discoverer.
Halley’s Comet, unlike most solar system objects, orbits the Sun in a retrograde orbit, going around it in the opposite direction that we do. Additionally, it tilts its orbit slightly toward ours, spending most of its time below the plane of our path. It is currently at its furthest point from the sun, near the head of the constellation Hydra the Water Snake, and it is too faint to see.
Two meteor showers
The Orionids are formed by particles from Halley’s Comet on its inbound leg. They are moving in one direction, while we are moving in nearly the opposite direction, resulting in fast-moving meteors. However, we also encounter particles from its outbound leg as it exits the inner solar system. We’ll get there in early May. They are responsible for the Eta Aquariid meteor shower. Consequently, this comet triggers two meteor showers.
Halley’s Comet was last seen in 1986 and will be observed again in 2061. But the Orionids never leave; they return every October. Go out and look for remnants of this famous comet.
The Orionid meteor shower peaks during a Waning Gibbous Phase
As with most meteor showers, the Orionids peak between midnight and dawn. Because a Waning Gibbous Moon sets around midnight, observers will have illuminated skies from midnight to dawn.
The term meteor shower may conjure up images of rain showers. However, few meteor showers resemble rain showers. In any case, the Orionids aren’t the strongest shower of the year. Furthermore, they aren’t particularly known for storming (producing unexpected, extremely rich displays). At their peak, you might see 10 to 20 Orionids per hour from a dark location. When it comes to meteor showers, however, there is always an element of uncertainty and possible surprise.
Orionids zip through the sky
If you see any Orionids in 2024, keep in mind that they are extremely fast meteors, falling into Earth’s atmosphere at about 41 miles per second (66 kilometers per second). This shower’s meteors are on the faint side. They compensate for their obscurity by leaving trains, or ionized gas trails, that last for a few seconds after the meteor has passed. Approximately half of all Orionid meteors leave persistent trains.
In addition, an Orionid meteor can be extremely bright and fragmented at times.
How will you know if a meteor is an Orionid? You’ll know because it’ll come from the radiant point of the shower.
Orionid meteors radiate from constellation Orion
Annual shower meteors are named after the point in our sky from which they appear to radiate. The Orionids’ radiant point is in the direction of the famous constellation Orion the Hunter, which rises in the east shortly after midnight in October. As a result, they are known as Orionids.
You don’t have to know Orion or be looking at it to see the meteors. Meteors are rarely visible until they are 30 degrees or more from their radiant point. Also, keep in mind that they are streaking out from the radiant in all directions. They will appear throughout the sky.
However, if you see a meteor and trace its path backward, you may discover that it is from the constellation Orion. If that’s the case, the meteor will be an Orionid. Betelgeuse, the bright, ruddy star in Orion, may be familiar to you. The radiant is located to the north of Betelgeuse.
Where will the Orionid meteor shower be visible?
The Orionid meteor shower will be visible in the Northern and Southern hemispheres, meaning that countries in Africa, Asia, North America, Australia, and South America will have front-row seats to the most beautiful meteor shower of the year.
Look in different directions
So… which way are you going to look? There is no specific direction. It’s best to locate a large open viewing area. Friends sometimes like to watch together while facing different directions. When someone sees one, they can call it a meteor!
Bottom line: In 2024, the Orionid meteor shower will be at its peak on the evening between October 20 and 21.
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