This weekend we can witness the brightest meteor shower ever. Here’s how to see it from Miami.
This year we have been blessed with multiple cosmic spectacles. We had the solar eclipse in August. Uranus was visible in the night sky last night. And this weekend we get to watch a meteor shower made up of some debris from Halley’s Comet. This is an annual phenomenon, the Orionid meteor shower is visible every year in mid-October when our planet passes through this rubble. We will get to witness 20 to 80 meteors per hour, according to NASA meteor expert Bill Cooke.
The Orionid meteor shower, so named because they appear to originate from the Orion constellation, is visible from anywhere on the planet. But you want to appreciate it here are a few things you need to do.
Be awake in the middle of the night
The Orionids will be the brightest at 2 a.m. on both Oct. 21 and Oct. 22, says Cooke.
Get away from the city lights
Light pollution is going to ruin the effect. Call your cousin who lives in Redlands and head down to the country.
Watch it online
NASA’s live stream from the Marshall Space Flight Center on Ustream starts at 10 p.m. EDT on Oct. 21.
Get out early so your eyes can adjust to the dark
NASA advises meteor watchers to lie on their backs with their feet facing southeast (if you are in the Northern Hemisphere) and to give your eyes at least a half hour to adapt to the dark.
This story was originally published October 19, 2017 at 10:10 PM.