Fireballs in the Sky: Orionids Meteor Shower Peak on Tuesday

If you like a good meteor shower, Halley’s Comet is about to produce the 2014 Orionids meteor shower peak. On Tuesday, Oct. 21, Earth will pass through a stream of debris from Halley’s Comet, which should make visible 15 to 20 meteors an hour in the wee hours of the morning.

The Orionids meteor shower is a favorite: With the second-fastest entry velocity of all the annual meteor showers, meteors from the Orionids produce yellow and green colors and occasionally produce the odd fireball.

The National Weather Service reports that conditions in Illinois are perfect Tuesday and Wednesday to see the meteors.

“We expect to see about 20 meteors per hour when the shower peaks on Tuesday morning, Oct 21st,” said Bill Cooke, the head of NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office, on NASA.gov. “With no moon to spoil the show, observing conditions should be ideal.

“The Orionid meteor shower is not the strongest, but it is one of the most beautiful showers of the year.”

According to the Farmer’s Almanac, meteor showers are best seen after midnight. Usually, a better time to see them is after 2 a.m. The best time is about an hour before morning twilight.

Meteor showers get their names from the constellations in the sky where they can be spotted. And what’s easier to spot than Orion the Hunter? The stars tend to shoot from Orion’s club, pierce Taurus the Bull, the Gemini twins, Leo the Lion and finally, Canis Major, home of Sirius, the brightest star we can see, aside from the sun.