Look up! Orionid meteor shower peaks this week

Fall is a great time to do some stargazing because of the crisp, clear air that we usually have in place and the longer nights. And when you have a meteor shower, it looks extra special. The Orionids are going now through early November, but the peak is coming up October 20th through the 22nd. So we have three mornings that we may be successful in seeing some of these meteors. Now, the radiant point of this meteor shower is Orion. the hunter, the constellation. Now since this is a wintertime constellation it doesn't rise until very late at night after midnight so you're going to want to go out late away from city lights let your eyes adjust and of course this time of year dress very warmly. Now the Orionids are interesting because it's debris coming from Halley's Comet. If you remember back in the spring we had the Eta Aquarids. That was the first shower from Halley's Comet. This is the second one coming up. So Earth goes through the debris field twice. And Halley's Comet has a short period. It's in and out of our solar system and it's left so much rich material behind. So we may see some very fast meteors with it. That's what the shower is known for. Those grains of sand, those particles left over from the comet. They're super small, but they're speedy. They hit the atmosphere at 148,000 miles per hour or 41 miles per second. So they're going to be whizzing by in the sky. This is a medium shower in a dark sky. Here's the deal. We live in the tri-state area that is saturated with light pollution. So if you find a really dark area out in the country, say over the ocean. You may be able to see about 10 to 20 meteors per hour. And if you do, that's really good. So this time of year, like I mentioned, it's great to get out and look up at the night sky. But when you do, dress accordingly. I'm meteorologist Michelle Powers.