NJ Skies To Light Up For Orionid Meteor Shower Peak This Week

NEW JERSEY — If meteor showers are your thing, get up early the next few mornings to catch a glimpse of the Orionid meteor shower.

That’s weather permitting, of course. (See New Jersey's forecast below.)

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.

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The Orionid meteor shower, which 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.

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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.

Here's the National Weather Service's latest forecast for New Jersey:

• Friday night: Patchy frost after 1 a.m. Otherwise, clear, with a low around 38. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
• Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 69. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph in the afternoon.
• Saturday night: A slight chance of rain after 2 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 48. East wind around 5 mph becoming calm. Chance of precipitation is 20 percent.
• Sunday: A chance of rain, mainly after 8 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 64. Northeast wind 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50 percent. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
• Sunday night: A chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 54. Chance of precipitation is 40 percent. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
• Monday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 68.
• Monday night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 56.
• Tuesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 74.
• Tuesday night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 58.
• Wednesday: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 72. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent.
• Wednesday night: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 56. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent.
• Thursday: Partly sunny, with a high near 71.