Orionid And Draconid Meteor Showers Peak This Month

By BRENDAN KRISEL (Patch Staff)

Starting as early as Sunday, Oct. 4, the Orionid Meteor Shower — formed by debris from Halley’s Comet — will begin lighting up the sky.

Viewing conditions will be dicey in the Metro Detroit area at the start of the Orionids. The National Weather Service calls for cloudy nights through Monday, then partly cloudy skies for the next several days.

The Orionids, which last until Nov. 14 and is expected to peak on either Oct. 21 or 22, won’t be the only show stargazers will be treated to this month. It’s subject to change, of course, but weather for the Orionids peak doesn’t look that good, either.

The Draconid meteor shower peak occurs on Oct. 9, and an Oct. 13 new moon will allow for ideal viewing conditions. Again, cloudy skies are in the long-range forecast.

To get a current local forecast for your area, click the weather box on the homepage.

Although the two showers occur during the same month, they provide viewers with different experiences.

The Draconid meteor showers are known as a more unpredictable viewing experience. The shower can produce some memorable shows, such as the Draconid meteor outburst of 2011, when more than 600 meteors per hour radiated from the constellation Draco. But that was a rare occurrence, as astronomers usually consider it to be one of the lesser showers. While there’s no outburst expected for this year’s shower, one can always hope. The Draconid meteor shower is also unlike many meteor showers in that the peak viewing time is between dusk and nightfall, not the early morning hours.

The Orionids, on the other hand, are a yearly favorite among stargazers. Up to 20 meteors per hour, originating near the constellation Orion, will be visible during the peak on Oct. 21. There was no moon to disrupt last year’s peak, and this year, the moon will set before predawn peak viewing hours. Meteors from the Orionid shower have the second-highest entry velocity and can produce yellow and green colors and the occasional odd fireball.

» Photo via NASA