Orionids Meteor Shower October 2022: When, Where to Watch the Show

Fall has arrived, and as the Orionid meteor shower begins, the night sky is getting more busy.

The shower occurs throughout the fall season every year, peaking in the third week of October.

When the shower is at its strongest during the third week of October, observers can observe about 15 meteors on average every hour under a dark sky.

WKBN said the meteors are traveling at 41 miles per second. To compare it to a rocket, they enter the Earth's atmosphere at a speed of around 148,000 miles per hour.

Orionids Meteor Shower: Best Time to Watch and More

NASA said the best time to watch the Orionid meteor shower is in late September or early October, which lasts until early November. Every year, a large number of skywatchers across the world may see the Halley Comet's trail as it passes by the earth and is visible to the human eye every 75 years.

According to NASA, the moon will be in a New Moon phase by October 25. This phase is dull, allowing more cosmic objects to shine through the night, making this year's Orionid meteor shower exciting.

The Orionid meteor shower, which may produce up to 20 meteors per hour in a clear, dark sky, is one of the brightest meteor showers recognized by NASA annually.

(Photo: DANIEL REINHARDT/dpa/AFP via Getty Images)
TOPSHOT - The milky way and meteors of the April Lyrids annual meteor shower are seen in the night sky over Burg Auf Fehmarn on the Baltic Sea island of Fehmarn, northern Germany, on April 20, 2018.

ALSO READ: Loud Boom Like Thunder Heard in Salt Lake City, Utah Due to Meteoroid: Report

The climax for this year would be on Thursday night, October 20, and individuals could witness its full onslaught throughout that day, according to Digital Trends. However, the Orionids won't be visible for another full year because the light show started on October 2 last year and will remain until early November.

In the Northern hemisphere, gazing southeast is the ideal direction to scan the night sky for the Orionid constellation. The Orionids would be anticipated in the Northeast for people in the Southern zone.

Other Meteor Showers in October

Before transitioning into the Orionid meteor shower, Popular Mechanics suggests checking out the Draconid meteor shower.

Due to the dust from comet 21P Giacobini-Zinner, spotted for the first time around 1900, the Draconids are a tiny shower that produces only a dozen meteors every hour.

There is a higher likelihood that you will be awake to see a shooting star at the Draconids shower's peak, the most active and finest viewing time, which occurs during the evening rather than the morning. The Draconids occasionally awaken and blast away more meteors per hour than planned.

The peak viewing will be on October 8, even though there will be a lot of moonlight because the event only lasts from October 6 to 10. Another rather robust meteor shower season begins with this shower.