Orionids Meteor Shower Peaks This Weekend: Here's How To Watch

The Orionids meteor shower , one of the most striking celestial events of the year, is set to peak this weekend. The shower, a result of the famed Halley's Comet, will send a flurry of bright and fast meteors shooting across the night sky. The meteors, traveling at about 148,000 mph into Earth's atmosphere, leave glowing trails of debris that can last for several seconds or even multiple minutes, according to NASA.

The Orionids are active from September 26 to November 22, but the peak activity is expected on Sunday (October 20) and Monday, according to the American Meteor Society. The best time to witness the meteors is from midnight to dawn. However, spectators will have to contend with a nearly full, bright, waning gibbous moon that may outshine fainter meteors. Despite this, lucky skygazers may see up to 23 meteors per hour blazing across moonless skies at 41 miles per second in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

Named after the constellation Orion, from which the meteors seem to emerge, the Orionids are framed by some of the brightest stars in the night sky . However, astronomers advise spectators to avoid looking toward the constellation Orion for the best views. The meteors are visible anywhere in the night sky, particularly 45 to 90 degrees away from the radiant, according to NASA.

For optimal viewing, spectators should find an open space where they can gaze up at a dark, moonless sky. It takes less than 30 minutes in the dark for eyes to adapt and begin to see meteors, says Bill Cooke , who leads NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office in Alabama.

The Orionids meteor shower is a result of Earth passing through the dusty debris trails left by Halley's Comet. The debris, known as meteoroids, collides with Earth's atmosphere at high speed and disintegrates, creating fiery and colorful streaks in the sky. Halley's Comet, which takes about 76 years for each orbit of the sun, won't be seen again by casual observers until 2061.