The Orionids meteor shower, often shortened to the Orionids, is the most prolific

meteor shower A meteor shower is a celestial event in which a number of meteors are observed to radiate, or originate, from one point in the night sky. These meteors are caused by streams of cosmic debris called meteoroids entering Earth's atmosphere at extr ...

associated with Halley's Comet. The Orionids are so-called because the point they appear to come from, called the

radiant Radiant may refer to: Computers, software, and video games * Radiant (software), a content management system * GtkRadiant, a level editor created by id Software for their games * Radiant AI, a technology developed by Bethesda Softworks for '' ...

, lies in the

constellation A constellation is an area on the celestial sphere in which a group of visible stars forms a perceived pattern or outline, typically representing an animal, mythological subject, or inanimate object. The origins of the earliest constellation ...

Orion, but they can be seen over a large area of the sky. The Orionids are an annual meteor shower which last approximately one week in late October. In some years, meteors may occur at rates of 50–70 per hour.

History

Meteor showers first designated "shooting stars" were connected to comets in the 1800s. E.C. Herrick made an observation in 1839 and 1840 about the activity present in the October night skies. A. S. Herschel produced the first documented record that gave accurate forecasts for the next meteor shower. The Orionids meteor shower is produced by Halley's Comet, which was named after the

astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses their studies on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. They observe astronomical objects such as stars, planets, moons, comets and galaxies – in either ...

Edmund Halley and last passed through the inner

Solar System The Solar System Capitalization of the name varies. The International Astronomical Union, the authoritative body regarding astronomical nomenclature, specifies capitalizing the names of all individual astronomical objects but uses mixed "Solar ...

in 1986 on its 75- to 76-year orbit. When the comet passes through the Solar System, the Sun sublimates some of the ice, allowing rock particles to break away from the comet. These particles continue on the comet's trajectory and appear as meteors ("falling stars") when they pass through Earth's upper atmosphere. Halley's comet is also responsible for creating the Eta Aquariids, which occur each May. * This meteor shower may give double peaks as well as plateaus, and time periods of flat maxima lasting several days.

Meteor shower and location

The

of the Orionids is located between the constellations Orion and Gemini (in the southeastern sky before dawn, as viewed from mid-northern latitudes. The most active time of the meteor shower was stated by

The Telegraph ''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are popular names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include: Australia * ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaide, South Australia, publ ...

to be in the early morning of October 21, 2009 Eastern Standard Time in the United States or in the United Kingdom. Universe Today reported that the meteor shower arrived at per hour on the morning of the 21st when showing was predicted to be at its height, however compared to previous showers in years past, the trail of 2009 appeared narrower without branching out. Observers observing the small meteor "Halleyids" at the

Marshall Space Flight Center The George C. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), located in Redstone Arsenal, Alabama (Huntsville postal address), is the U.S. government's civilian rocketry and spacecraft propulsion research center. As the largest NASA center, MSFC's firs ...

in Alabama saw streaks radiating in all directions with the naked eye.

Gallery

Image:Orionid meteor.jpg, An Orionid near the center. File:Orionid Meteor(1).JPG, A fish-eye view. Image:Two orionids and milky way.jpg, Two Orionids and the

Milky Way The Milky Way is the galaxy that includes our Solar System, with the name describing the galaxy's appearance from Earth: a hazy band of light seen in the night sky formed from stars that cannot be individually distinguished by the naked eye. ...

. Image:Multi colored Orionid.jpg, A multicolored Orionid. Image:Orionids and Orion.jpg, An Orionid to the left. Image:Meteor trail.jpg, The brightest meteor, a fireball, leaves a persistent smoky trail drifting in high-altitude winds, which is seen on the right side of the image.

References

External links

Worldwide viewing times for the 2016 Orionids meteor shower

Orionids Peak This Weekend
(Carl Hergenrother : 2012 Oct 20)
Orionids 2012: visual data quicklook
( International Meteor Organization)
Spaceweather.com: 2009 Orionid Meteor Shower photo gallery: Page 1

Orionids at Constellation Guide
{{meteor showers Halley's Comet Meteor showers October events November events

History

Meteor shower and location

Gallery

See also

References

External links