Kansans can see a meteor shower from Halley’s Comet soon. Here’s the best time to watch
Kansans have the opportunity to catch a glimpse of leftovers from the famed Halley’s Comet during the Orionid meteor shower this weekend.
The annual shower is expected to peak this year ahead of sunrise Sunday, and according to Space.com, Friday and Saturday will offer the brightest view of the Orionids. With clear skies, viewers may be able to see around 23 meteors each hour, NASA reports.
The annual shower will be visible from Earth this year through Nov. 22.
For those in Wichita or elsewhere in south-central Kansas, both nights should offer good opportunities to see the shower. The National Weather Service forecasts clear skies Friday and Saturday nights in Wichita, with a low of 55 and 53 degrees Fahrenheit, respectively.
What is the Orionid meteor shower?
The Orionid shower is the result of Earth moving through the dust left behind from Halley’s Comet, Space.com reports. Halley’s is a periodic comet, passing our planet roughly every 76 years.
It is not expected to pass by Earth again until 2061.
Meteors themselves are the remnants from asteroids (bits of rock) or in this case comet debris (comprised of ice and dust), emitted as Halley’s Comet passes the sun.
“Orionid meteors are known for their brightness and for their speed,” NASA says. “These meteors are fast — they travel at about 148,000 mph (66 km/s) into Earth’s atmosphere. Fast meteors can leave glowing ‘trains’ (incandescent bits of debris in the wake of the meteor) which last for several seconds to minutes.”
At times, they can move so fast they become fireballs.
From Earth, we see the bright streaks of passing meteors as shooting stars, a visual from the glowing hot air of the passing matter.
In addition to the Orionids each October, debris from Halley’s Comet also is visible as the Eta Aquarids each May.
As indicated by the shower’s name, the radiant of the Orionids — or where the meteors appear to originate from — is the constellation Orion.
“You should not look only toward the constellation of Orion to view the Orionids — they are visible across the night sky,” NASA says. “It is actually better to view the Orionids from 45 to 90 degrees away from the radiant. They will appear longer and more spectacular from this perspective.”
For a good view Friday or Saturday, try to move to a dark location, away from sources of light pollution, and lie down with your feet pointed southeast. Your eyes will take some time to adjust before you can see the shower.