Catch the Orionid meteor shower in the wee hours

The Orionid meteor shower — that heavenly annual light display that returns to the sky each October — will peak in the pre-dawn hours of Oct. 21, according to the Griffith Observatory. The “showers” can be seen now through Nov. 7, but tonight (Oct. 15) through Oct. 22 is predicted to be the best time to watch meteors flame across the sky at a speed of 35 miles per second. (Find out-of-the-way spots to view meteors.)

“Best viewing is just before dawn starts at about 5:30 a.m.,” said Anthony Cook, astronomical observer at the L.A. observatory. Viewing is best at that time, Cook said, because it’s when the Earth is “facing into the stream of meteors that are passing by.”

The only fly in the ointment: The moon will be pretty bright, which means many of the dim meteors likely won’t be visible.

Watch a video of some sky-watching tips after the jump.

Click here if you have trouble seeing the video.

The meteor shower earned its name because you can follow the radiant, or path, of the meteors to the Orion constellation, one of the most recognizable star configurations after perhaps the Big Dipper. (Look for the three stars in the belt and then you’ll see the entire “figure.”)

These meteors are produced when the Earth passes through the tail of Halley’s Comet and tiny particles from the comet burn up in our atmosphere. Halley’s Comet, which was visible from Earth in 1986, won’t be by again until 2061.

Cook said the meteors may come at a rate of 20 per hour but there could be as many as 40 per hour or as few as 10 per hour. “Expect to see one about every three minutes, though in reality they come in bunches,” he said.

You can get good views if you wait until after midnight (Orion doesn’t rise until 10:30 p.m. and the show begins about an hour after that) and look toward the northern or western portions of the sky.

Try to find a viewing spot away from bright city lights and clear of obstructions, such as trees or mountains. A stretch of desert or a mountain meadow are ideal sites. Avoid using binoculars or a telescope, which will only limit your views of the sky.

– Hugo Martín, Los Angeles Times staff writer

[Photo: Tunc Tezel for NASA]

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 15, 2008 at 2:34 pm by Hugo Martin and is filed under California, California's Central Coast, Catalina Island, Eco-Travel, Family & Kids, Los Angeles, Monterey Peninsula, National Parks, News, Tips & Advice, Outdoors & Adventure, Palm Springs, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Sierra Nevada, Space travel, Yosemite National Park. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.