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CANAVERAL, Florida -- Don't worry if you missed the Orionid meteor shower this morning. You will get a second chance to watch the peak of the 2012 Orionid Meteor Shower tonight.
The October Orionid Meteor Shower 2012 tonight promises a spectacular display of
meteors thanks in part to the timing of the Full and New Moon
around the Orionid Meteor Shower 2012 which peaks this weekend on October 21, 2012
(other years are usually October 22 - but 2012 is a leap year).
The
darkest night in October 2012 will occur during the New Moon on October
15, 2012 - while the brightest night will be the Full Moon on October
29, 2012.
So, the best days to view the Orionid Meteor Shower 2012 will be leading up to its peak from October 15, 2012 through October 21, 2012 while the night sky is darker. But Sunday night, October 21 to Monday morning, October 22, 2012 should be a good night to watch the meteor shower also.
The best time to view the Orionid Meteor Shower 2012 is one to two
hours before dawn. During the Orionid peak, the meteor shower can
produce approximately 15 very fast-moving meteors per hour.
The
Orionid Meteor Shower is viewable around the world. So there is no
"best" place of where to watch the Orionid Meteor Shower 2012 except in
local areas without bright lights and cloud cover.
The Orionid Meteor Shower 2012 is active from October 3, 2012 through November 13, 2012.
The Orionid Meteor Shower is named after the constellation
Orion because the meteors appear to come from just north of Orion's
bright star Betelgeuse. It is made up of debris left by Halley's Comet
with a debris field that is so wide that encompasses the entire distance
between the Earth and the Moon.
Where to watch in the night sky for the 2012 Orionid Meteor Shower:
Where to watch in the night sky for the 2012 Orionid Meteor Shower:
The
Orion Constellation will be directly above you around 5 a.m. your local
daylight time (with slight variation depending on how far east or west
you are within your time zone). So if you are in the Eastern Time Zone,
it will be above you at 5 a.m. EDT. If you are in the Pacific Time
Zone, it will be above you at 5 a.m. PDT.
Find Orion's noticeable three-star belt in the night sky, then follow his raised arm to his elbow to see the origination point of the Orionids (see image above).
This article is based on NASA publications.
IMAGE CREDIT: NASA
2 comments:
Sunday, October 22, 2012 should be a good night to watch the meteor shower?
What about the view on Feb. 30?
Thank you. Corrected. Should have read Sunday night October 21 through Monday morning October 22.
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