Sky watchers should keep their eyes peeled in the coming nights for a stunning display of shooting stars, as the next annual meteor showers are set to light up the night sky.
The Orionid meteor showers take place every year in October, and this year their peak is set to be in the early hours of Thursday 21 and Friday 22.
The showers have been described as “extra special”, as the meteors are actually tiny pieces from the famous Halley’s Comet, which is only visible from Earth once every 75 years.
The comet was last seen in 1986, and it’s set to return in 2061.
As Halley makes its journey around the sun, it leaves debris in its path. These small pieces - some as small as a grain of sand - then pass through Earth’s atmosphere and vaporise, creating bright streaks of light in the night sky.
Up to 20 meteors could streak across the sky every hour over the next couple of nights. They can be seen easily with the naked eye, so there’s no need to splurge on a telescope, although if you’re heading outside you’ll need to give your eyes time to adjust to the dark.
The best place to spot the meteor showers is out in the countryside, away from the light pollution caused by towns and cities. The meteors can be seen in any part of the sky and it may take a while to catch one, so it’s best to wrap up warm and find a comfortable place to station yourself for sky-watching.
The meteors won’t be the only spectacular space phenomenon to cast your eyes on either. The Hunter’s Moon, a particularly impressive full moon so-called because its timing coincides historically with the hunting that would take place after the end of the harvest.
The light of the moon might make it trickier to see some of the meteor showers during their peak over the next couple of days. But fear not - if you keep your eyes to the skies throughout the rest of October you may still be able to catch a few once the moon wanes, as the showers are often seen until the end of this month.
