The October Sky Show You've Been Waiting For Is Here

Orionid meteor shower is Friday, Saturday night, visible from anywhere on Earth (except Antarctica)
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 20, 2017 1:00 PM CDT
Orionid Meteor Shower Is on Friday Night
Enjoy the show!   (Getty Images/Cylonphoto)

USA Today wants you to "count your lucky stars" this weekend—literally. That's because what it's deeming "one of the year's best sky shows" is set to take place: the Orionid meteor shower, scheduled to peak on Friday and Saturday nights, with the best viewing times expected between midnight and right before sunrise. Space.com notes the meteors are visible with the naked eye from anywhere on the planet save Antarctica (though it helps if you can get away from places bombarded with light pollution), and a NASA release notes that, at least on Friday night right before dawn, spectators may spot 10 to 15 meteors per hour. "The Orionids are popular among stargazers because all of its individual shooting stars are fragments of the most famous comet of all time, Halley's comet," a Slooh astronomer says, per USA Today. (More meteor shower stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X