Seen The Comet? Now See It With ‘Shooting Stars’ From Halley’s Comet

Halley's comet last entered the inner solar system in 1986 and is due back in 2061.

As there wasn’t enough excitement about comets this month, here’s a chance to see the impact of Halley's Comet, the most famous clump of ice, rock and dust in the solar system.

Last seen in 1986 and not due in the solar system until 2061, Halley’s comet will nevertheless make an impact this week when bits of it left in the solar system from previous visits come crashing into Earth's atmosphere as spectacular “shooting stars.”

Here's everything you need to know about the Orionid meteor shower in 2024:

The Orionid Meteor Shower stretches from September 26 to November 2, 2024, though the peak night for activity is Monday, October 21 and into the early hours of Tuesday, October 22. That's the night to aim for, though the few nights on either side should also be good, clear skies allowing.

The best time to see shooting stars is after midnight since that’s when you are on the night side of Earth as travels head-on through the remains of Halley’s Comet. You should expect to see around 20 shooting stars per hour, though the presence of a 72%-lit waning gibbous moon rising about two hours before local midnight may dampen the effect.

The key to seeing Orionids is patience. Although “shooting stars” can appear anywhere in the night sky, it’s wise to gaze vaguely in the direction of this meteor shower’s source constellation, Orion. Its most famous signpost are the three stars of Orions Belt — Alnitak, Alnilam and Mintaka.

During October and November, Orion will be in the southeastern sky around midnight, precisely when the shooting stars are most abundant. The radiant point is close to the red supergiant star Betelgeuse, which will be above Orion’s belt. Orionids will appear to come from this point. Keep looking; you may see a “shooting star” streak across the Orion constellation.

The constellation Orion, as it appears during October. Look to the east-southeast after dark.

Here are some tips to get the best from the Orion meteor shower:

It's all about size. A comet is a snowball containing dust, gas and rock that orbits the sun, occasionally coming into the solar system. When it does, the sun's radiation causes the comet to shed some of this matter, such as rock particles and dust. If the rock is about 10 meters in diameter, it’s called an asteroid; if it’s smaller, it’s a meteoroid. When meteoroids burn up in the Earth's atmosphere, they become meteors — otherwise known as shooting stars.

Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.

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