When Can I See the Orionids Meteor Shower?

The offspring of Halley's Comet are about to put on quite a show in the skies of New Hampshire.

Earth will pass through a stream of debris from Halley's Comet beginning Oct. 15, which will give us the benefit of the annual Orionids meteor shower — though you probably won't see much until a bit later.

New Hampshire Astronomical Society  President John Bishop said there are several public sky-watches happening this week (see calendar here). Said Bishop: "The Orionids are visible any time it's clear and dark but are best after midnight. Find a place where there are no local lights shining on you and look up you can see meteors even in the city.  Of course, you'll have to wait a while, because you'll only see really bright ones and they are rare." For more information, contact Bishop at: president.2012@nhastro.com.

You might also consider catching the upcoming public viewing session at the UNH physics observatory in Durham, which opens its doors to the public next on Oct. 20 from 8 -10 p.m.

The shower should be at its peak the night of Saturday, Oct. 20, until just before dawn on Oct. 21. 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.

To make sure you get the best view possible, remember to check the weather forecast and conditions before you head outside to watch. 

Where will you be watching? Do you have a favorite look-out spot in Nashua? Share with the rest of us, please.