The Orionids are expected to peak on the night of Tuesday October 22. However a luminous Moon will disrupt the view of the meteor shower until shortly before dawn. The Orionids are some of the fastest of the meteor showers, because the Earth is colliding with a stream of cosmic particles almost head on.
The Orionid meteors appear every year, with showers usually producing approximately 20 meteors every hour.
Although the meteor shower is active from October 2 until November 7, the peak occurs on the night of October 21, when the shooting star shower will be at its brightest.
Tom Kerss, an astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, said: “If you can brave the cold, make a plan to stay out and enjoy the thrill of seeing tiny flecks of Halley’s Comet disintegrate at hypersonic speeds above your head.”
Mr Kerss counsels finding a secluded spot and allowing your eyes to adjust to the darkness.
The astronomer added: “There’s no advantage to using binoculars or a telescope, your eyes are the best tool available for spotting meteors, so relax and gaze up at the sky, and eventually your patience will be rewarded.
READ MORE: What is the best time to see the Draconid meteor shower?
“Meteors can appear anywhere in the sky, though if you have to pick a direction, you might fare slightly better looking east.”
The meteoroids from Halley’s Comet strike Earth’s atmosphere at a speed of 148,000mph, (238,000kph) incinerates in fiery flashes of light easily visible with the naked eye.
The Orionids are known for their speed and brilliance, meaning there’s a good chance this with enough patience should see several bright ‘shooting stars’ hurtling across the sky.
The Orionids is not the only meteor showers formed by Halley’s Comet, with the other being the Eta Aquarids, which occurs in May.
Halley’s Comet itself has not been visible from Earth since 1986.
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Why is the meteor shower called Orionid?
The shooting star show is called Orionid because they appear to arrive from the Orion constellation.
Orion is one of the brightest and best known constellations and contains two of the 10 brightest stars in the sky Rigel and Betelgeuse, in addition to Orion’s Belt.
Orion’s Belt is made up of three bright stars quite close together almost in a straight line, lying approximately 1,500 light years from our planet.
Orion has been known since ancient times and is also referred to as Hunter thanks to Greek mythology.
The constellation is often seen in star maps facing Taurus, the bull.
The UK’s best stargazing spots:
Galloway Forest Park lies two hours from Glasgow and an hour from Carlisle.
Exmoor was granted International Dark-Sky Reserve status by the International Dark-Sky Association in 2011.
Romney Marsh offers a stunning landscape for stargazing, lying on a landscape adorned with the spires of ancient churches.
Northumberland’s Kielder Forest is known as being one of the the darkest place in England.
The North York Moors offer historic market towns including Helmsley and Pickering, plus attractive coastal spots, including Scarborough and Whitby.
Remaining meteor shows for 2019:
October 8-9: The Draconids
October 21-22: The Orionids
November 5-6: The Southern Taurids
November 17-18: The Leonids
December 13-14: The Geminids
December 21-22: The Ursids