Pieces of Halley’s Comet to bring meteor shower this week. Here’s how you can watch

A meteor shower of pieces left behind by Halley’s Comet will zoom through the sky at their peak this week.

The Orionid meteor shower peaks on Wednesday, Oct. 21, just before sunrise, according to Space.com.

“2020 will be an excellent year to look for them, since the moon will be a slender crescent,” Space.com reported.

The meteors fly through the sky every year between Oct. 2 and Nov. 7 when Earth passes through the debris left behind by Halley’s Comet, according to EarthSky.

Stargazers can typically see several meteors per hour during the Orionid meteor shower, and between Oct. 20 and Oct. 21, people could see up to 20 each hour, according to CNet. Occasionally, people can also see fireballs, CNet reported.

The Orionids are known as “extremely fast meteors,” going 41 miles per second, so stargazers have to pay attention, according to EarthSky.

“That said, a fair amount of these meteors leave persistent trails that last for a few seconds,” CNet reported. “Some even fragment and break up in a more spectacular fashion.”

A viewing area with lots of space is best to see the meteor shower’s peak. The meteors can come from the Club of Orion if you trace its path backward, but stargazers can look in any direction to see the show, EarthSky reported.

“The best time to watch begins from about 1 or 2 a.m. local daylight time until the first light of dawn (at around 5:45 a.m.), when Orion stands highest above the southern horizon,” according to Space.com. “The higher in the sky Orion is, the more meteors appear all over the sky.”