Halley's Comet in 1986.
Image Credit: NASA
October 20, 2017 - 12:01 PM
The Orionid meteor shower will light up the night sky tonight, Oct. 20, and tomorrow night as Earth travels through an area of space littered with debris from Halley’s Comet, according to NASA.
"Earth is passing through a stream of debris from Halley's Comet, the source of the Orionids," Bill Cooke of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office says in a media release. "Bits of comet dust hitting the atmosphere should give us a couple dozen of meteors per hour."
Anyone can witness the Orionid meteor shower because a telescope isn't needed.
It is a great year to view the meteor shower because the crescent moon doesn't provide a lot of light so, it will not hide many Orionid meteors.
The best time to view the meteor shower is between midnight and dawn on Friday or Saturday night from anywhere on Earth.
"Look near Orion's club in the hours before dawn and you may see up to 10 to 15 meteors per hour," NASA's Jane Houston Jones says in a post.
Environment Canada is calling for a clear sky tonight, but if it turns out that isn't the case where you live, or there is too much light pollution, NASA will be broadcasting the celestial event via Upstream tonight starting at 7 p.m.
If you want to try your hand at catching a few meteors with your camera, check out our night sky photography tips here.
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