Earth began its pass through a stream of debris from Halley's Comet beginning Monday, Oct. 15, resulting in the annual Orionids meteor shower—though the shower peaks on the morning of Sunday, October 21.
And it appears the weather will cooperate: clear skies Saturday night into Sunday morning with temps in the high 40s is the forecast.
This year, the moon will be setting at approximately midnight, which will keep the sky darkened enough that—barring cloud cover—you should be able to see up to 15 meteors per hour.
What makes this shower so cool? First of all, c'mon—it's a show of shooting stars.
Also, though, there's no question about where to look for this one. Meteor showers get their names from the constellations in the sky where they can be spotted. And what's easier to spot than Orion the Hunter?
The stars tend to shoot from Orion's club, pierce Taurus the Bull, the Gemini twins, Leo the Lion and finally, Canis Major, home of Sirius, the brightest star we can see—well, aside from the sun.
There's also something else that's special about this show: With the second-fastest entry velocity of all the annual meteor showers, meteors from the Orionids produce yellow and green colors and occasionally produce an odd fireball.
Where are the best places to stargaze in Montville? If you take photos, please share them with Patch by clicking on the button above, or post on our Facebook page!
