Watch For Fireballs As Orionid Meteor Shower Peaks In CT: Here's When To Look Up

CONNECTICUT — If meteor showers are your thing, get up early the next few mornings to catch a glimpse of the Orionid meteor shower as it builds toward its Friday morning peak.

That’s weather permitting, of course. Your best opportunity to see the show and stay dry are Friday and Saturday nights: neither rain nor clouds are in the AccuWeather forecast. That changes Sunday and Monday nights, as showers and a thick cover of clouds are expected. The rain goes away mid-week, along with half of the cloud cover, and viewing conditions again become optimal next Thursday night, according to AccuWeather.

The thin, crescent moon will leave mostly dark skies for the peak, when about 20 shooting stars an hour fly in typical years. The meteors are fast-moving and occasionally produce bright fireballs and leave persistent trains.

So-named because meteors radiate from the same area of the sky as the Orion constellation, the Orionids are produced by debris from the famous Halley’s Comet.

The hours between midnight and dawn are the best time to see the Orionids. Take along a camera. Report a fireball — a very bright meteor — to the American Meteor Society.

• See Also:CT 2022 Guide To Meteor Showers, Lunar Eclipses And Supermoons

The Orionid meteor shower, started Sunday and continues through Nov. 7, intersecting with the long-running Taurid meteor showers that rambles along through late summer and most of the fall. The Taurids are actually two separate meteor showers coming from two separate streams — the first created by grain dust left behind by Asteroid 2004/TG10, and the second by debris left behind by Comet 2P/Encke. It runs through Dec. 10.

The best times to see Taurids are late October and early November, when the two streams overlap. The South Taurids peak around Nov. 5; the North Taurids peak around Nov. 12.

Occasionally, the Taurids create a “swarm” with numerous bright fireballs. The last one was in 2015. In normal years, though, they produce about five or 10 shooting stars an hour. Like most meteor showers, this is best viewed after midnight.

• You may also like: Aurora Borealis Displays More Likely In Active Solar Storm Season | Aurora Borealis Hunting: What’s A Kp Index, More Northern Lights Tips