Orionids
The Orionids are an October meteor shower produced by dust from Halley's Comet.
The Orionids peak around 21 to 22 October, with meteors appearing to come from near the constellation Orion, the hunter. They are a moderate shower, typically giving around 20 meteors per hour under dark skies.
They are made of dust shed by Halley's Comet over many centuries. The same stream produces the Eta Aquariids in May, when Earth crosses the other side of the comet's orbit. Orionid particles hit our atmosphere at about 66 kilometres per second, so the meteors are fast and sometimes leave glowing trains.
The radiant rises in the late evening, and the best viewing is in the hours before dawn. Orion is easy to recognise by the three stars of his belt, which makes this shower a good one for learning the sky. Seeing an Orionid means watching a tiny piece of Halley's Comet, which will not itself return until 2061.
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Level: Explorer Ages 10 and up