Remains from Halley’s Comet, last seen in 1986, will unleash ‘shooting stars’ this weekend – here’s how YOU can watch the ‘fire in the sky’ in the US

The climatic peak of the planet’s passage through the scorching meteors left behind by Halley is set to occur in the early hours of Sunday morning, sparking hours of “shooting stars.”

It will be at its most wonderful between midnight and dawn tomorrow and Sunday.

To find Orionids, members of the public should find a location away from streetlights, or, if possible, a campsite or other rural location away from any sources of light pollution.

Meteors can be seen with the naked eye, so there’s no need for binoculars or a telescope, although NASA experts recommend giving yourself a 30-minute window to allow your eyes to adjust to the darkness.

NASA’s Orionids Guide advises being patient, as the display will continue until dawn, so you have plenty of time to catch a glimpse of it.

The Orion radiant (the point in the sky where meteors appear to be coming from) is located in the constellation Orion, hence the name “Orion.”

At its peak, there could be more than 20 meteors flying overhead every hour, each traveling at speeds of up to 41 miles (66 kilometers) per second.

However, there is one potential problem that sky watchers may encounter.

Much of the East Coast and inland areas extending as far as Wisconsin, Michigan and parts of Kentucky, as well as much of the Pacific Northwest, will see heavy cloud cover and rain throughout the weekend, blocking views from the ground.

Fortunately for the rest of the continental United States, the moon will be only 34 to 37 percent illuminated all weekend, in the waxing crescent phase, providing little interference with the flaming orids in the night sky.

But, even if the weather in your area fails to cooperate this weekend, near-peak Orionid meteors will continue until about October 26 — with a frequency of just under 15 to 23 spectacular meteors per forecast hour before dawn on October day. 22

NASA’s Orionid Guide describes the activity as continuing until next month, November 22, so you may be able to catch them, albeit at a lower rate.

Dr Daniel Brown, an astronomy expert at Nottingham Trent University, told MailOnline: ‘To observe them successfully, people need to make sure they find a good safe place away from any direct light and ideally the sky is as dark as possible.’

‘Then take your time. The eyes need 20-30 minutes to fully adapt to the darkness and detect faint meteors. Just going out to the park to see them will not be enough, people must be patient.

“Make sure you choose a place where you can see a lot of the sky, not just Orion.” There is no need for any telescopes or binoculars. Meteors will streak across the entire sky.

According to the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, the Orionids are a “very special” display that reliably produces shooting stars that can be seen all over the world.

He added: “Meteors can be seen all over the sky, so it’s good to be in a wide open space where you can scan the night sky with your eyes.” But if you trace the paths taken by the meteors, they appear to originate from the constellation Orion.

Described as “one of the most beautiful showers of the year,” the phenomenon occurs every fall when Earth passes through a stream of debris left behind by Halley’s Comet.

Halley’s Comet on March 8, 1986. The space rock, which left behind grain-sized particles that produce the orionids, comes around the inner solar system every 75 years or so

Meteors, also known as shooting stars, come from the remains of comet particles and fragments of broken-up asteroids.

As comets orbit the Sun, the dust they emit gradually spreads in a dust trail around their orbits.

Every year, Earth passes through these trails of debris, which collide with our atmosphere and break up to form fiery, colorful streaks in the sky.

However, the events do not pose a threat to humans, as objects almost always burn up in our atmosphere before reaching the planet’s surface.

NASA says: “Orionids, which peak in mid-October each year, are considered one of the most beautiful rain showers of the year.”

‘Orion meteors are known for their brightness and speed. These meteors are fast, traveling at about 148,000 mph (66 km/s) into Earth’s atmosphere.

Fast meteors can leave glow “trains” (glowing bits of debris in the meteorite’s wake) that last for several seconds to minutes.

“Fast meteors can also sometimes become fireballs; look for long bursts of light when watching the Orionids meteor shower.

Halley’s Comet, which left behind sand-grain-sized particles that produce orids, comes around the inner solar system every 75 years or so.

It was last seen with the naked eye in 1986, and will not appear again until the summer of 2061.

In the meantime, we’re left to watch the meteor shower that comes from the “comet droppings” as it flies through the atmosphere.

Remaining meteor shower in 2023

Orionides: 21-22 October – 25 hours – fast with good trains

Supplies: October 10-11 (south), November 12-13 (north) – 5 per hour – very slow

Leonides: November 17-18 – 10 per hour – fast and bright

Jiminides: December 14-15 – 150 per hour – bright and plentiful, few trains

Ursids: December 22-23 – 10 p.m. – Scattered rain showers

Note: Dates indicate the peak of each shower

Stay tuned: The table above shows the remaining meteor showers coming in 2023