News

Actions

Orionid meteor shower overshadowed this year

Orionid meteor shower overshadowed this year
Posted at 11:18 AM, Oct 20, 2016
and last updated 2016-10-20 11:18:54-04

Every year in October, the Earth passes through the tail of Halley's comet, giving sky-watchers a show of around 20 meteors an hour.

In 2016, that show will peak tonight, Oct. 20, and into Friday morning.

RELATED: Storm Shield app can track the clouds for optimum meteor watching
RELATED: RadarCast will alert you when it's about to rain

Unfortunately for everyone anticipating this event, the moon is likely to outshine many of the visible meteors.

More than half of the moon's surface will be illuminated for nearly the entire night, and the glare will make it difficult to view any of these meteors, no matter how many there are.

The annual Orionid meteor shower usually begins in mid-October and lasts for roughly ten days every year, but a few stragglers have been seen as late as a week into November.

The next chance to see this many meteors won't come until the Geminids in mid-December.

Follow Storm Shield Meteorologist Jason Meyersvia the Storm Shield appon Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. Download the Storm Shield Weather Radio App for your iPhone or Android device and get severe weather alerts wherever you are. Named by Time.com one of the best weather apps for your iPhone.