Orionids Meteor Shower 2016: Don't Miss It!

Caitlin Burke
10-21-2016

Share This article

Every Fall pieces of dust from the orbit of Halley's Comet intersect with Earth and put on an amazing meteor shower.

It's called the Orionid Meteor Shower and it's happening tonight, Oct. 21.

They are called the Orionids because they appear to fan out from the constellation Orion, The Hunter.

According to NASA, the best time to catch a glimpse of the meteor shower is a few hours before dawn when the sky is the darkest. 

Stargazers can expect to see around 20 meteors per hour during this year's meteor shower. However, viewing conditions are not optimal this year because of the moon. It's expected to wash out the fainter meteors.

NASA suggests giving your eyes about 45 minutes to adjust to the dark in order to be able to see the meteor shower fully. They also warn against using binoculars because it will reduce the amount of sky visible at one time, lowering the odds of seeing a meteor.

Halley's Comet has not been visible from Earth since 1986, however, the Orionid Meteor Shower is one of two meteor showers created by the Comet's debris. The other is the Eta Aquarids and it's visible in May.
 

Share This article

About The Author

Caitlin Burke Headshot
Caitlin
Burke

Caitlin Burke serves as National Security Correspondent and a general assignment reporter for CBN News. She has also hosted the CBN News original podcast, The Daily Rundown. Some of Caitlin’s recent stories have focused on the national security threat posed by China, America’s military strength, and vulnerabilities in the U.S. power grid. She joined CBN News in July 2010, and over the course of her career, she has had the opportunity to cover stories both domestically and abroad. Caitlin began her news career working as a production assistant in Richmond, Virginia, for the NBC affiliate WWBT
More