Orionid Meteor Shower To Peak: How To See Fireballs In NorCal

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — The Orionid meteor shower peak this weekend will be worth getting outside for, weather permitting, in Northern California.

The Orionids, considered one of the most beautiful shooting star shows of the year, peak overnight Saturday with clear-sky rates of about 23 meteors an hour.

Viewing could be a challenge in the Bay Area. The National Weather Service forecasts cloudy or partly conditions across the region Saturday night, with a rain possible after midnight — which would otherwise be prime viewing time for the meteor shower, after the moon sets.

The NWS forecasts mostly clear skies in Sacramento and the Sacramento Valley, the Fairfield Area, Stockton and the western slope of the Sierra Nevada, including Grass Valley. Those areas should offer a better chance for viewing. Lake Tahoe is forecast to start the evening with smoke haze before giving way to mostly clear skies after 11 p.m. Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.

The moon, at about 37 percent illuminated this weekend, won’t cause too much interference.

Although viewers can expect to see a modest number of meteors under perfect conditions, what makes the Orionids so spectacular is their incredible speed — only the Leonids, which peak in mid-November, are faster, according to NASA Science.

The Orionids zip through the sky at about 41 miles per second, or around 148,000 miles per hour. Meteors that fast can leave glowing trains — that is, incandescent bits of debris that can last several seconds or even minutes — and also can become fireballs.

“Look for prolonged explosions of light when viewing the Orionid meteor shower,” NASA said, adding, “The Orionids are also framed by some of the brightest stars in the night sky, which lend a spectacular backdrop for these showy meteors.”

The radiant — the point in the sky from which the Orionids appear to come — is the constellation Orion. The constellation is only named to aid viewers and is not the source of the meteors, NASA said.

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“It is actually better to view the Orionids from 45 to 90 degrees away from the radiant,” NASA explained. “They will appear longer and more spectacular from this perspective. If you do look directly at the radiant, you will find that the meteors will be short. This is an effect of perspective called foreshortening.”

For the best chances to see shooting stars, get as far away as possible from city lights. Be prepared to settle in, so take along a sleeping bag, blanket or lawn chair. For the best vantage point, lie flat on your back with your feet facing southeast, so you can take in as much of the sky as possible.

Your eyes should adjust to the darkness after 30 minutes, and you’ll begin to see meteors. The show should be visible until dawn, according to NASA.

Meteors come from leftover comet particles — in this case, Halley’s Comet — and broken asteroids.

“When comets come around the sun, the dust they emit gradually spreads into a dusty trail around their orbits,” NASA explained. “Every year the Earth passes through these debris trails, which allows the bits to collide with our atmosphere where they disintegrate to create fiery and colorful streaks in the sky.”

In some years, the Orionids have spit out as many as 80 meteors an hour, but that hasn’t happened in recent years.

The shower is active through Nov. 22, intersecting with the Southern and Northern Taurids, a long-running meteor shower that is unique in that it consists of two separate streams. Together, they run from mid-October through early December, according to the American Meteor Society.