The Orionids , the shower of stars prior to the well-known Leonids (which will take place in November) arrive this Wednesday, October 21 – in the transition from Wednesday to Thursday – at their maximum moment of splendor. Undoubtedly the best time to observe them will be during sunrise , when Earth encounters the densest part of the Halley Comet debris stream.
“The rain will probably show weaker activity than usual this year. Chunks of comet dust hitting the atmosphere will amount to a dozen meteors per hour, ”says NASA's Bill Cooke.
This rain that began last October 2 and will last until November 7, are famous because they can be seen from anywhere on the planet. Its meteors, of a green-yellow color, come from Halley's Comet , which visits our planet every 76 years (we will see it again in 2062).
As always happens with this phenomenon, you don't need any kind of special device to see them ; We will simply have to look at the sky directing our eyes to the constellation of Orion, its starting point. The ideal, as always, is to get away from light pollution, find a dark place, lie down and enjoy the spectacle of the night sky.
