Stargazers are in for a spectacular show tonight as debris from Halley’s Comet rains down to Earth’s atmosphere in the annual Orionid meteor shower.
The event will peak during the pre-dawn hours of Friday morning, dazzling the skies with up to 20 ‘shooting stars’ per hour – and unlike many other meteor showers, viewers in both the Northern and Southern hemispheres will have an equal shot at catching a glimpse.
As with most celestial events, the Orionid meteor shower also has doomsayers ready to batten down the hatches, with many citing both Nostradamus and ancient Mayan prophecies in claims that it will bring on the end of days.
The Orionids are best seen on a clear, dark night when the shower radiant point, near the border of the constellations Orion and Gemini, is high in the sky, Space.com explains.
This year, however, glare from the half-illuminated waning gibbous moon will make for less than ideal viewing.
Still, stargazers may be able to catch a glimpse of the show.
The meteors will be easiest to see from rural locations at around 5 a.m.
And while the show is expected to peak during the moonlit hours of Friday morning, viewers may have a better opportunity to see meteors after October 22.
This is because the portion of the sky in which the meteors appear to originate will rise before the moon on these days, according to Space.com.
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