Halley’s Comet meteor shower peaks this weekend. How to get a view from Northern California
If you’re in the right spot this weekend, you might be lucky enough to catch glowing streaks in the sky, as the famous Halley’s Comet brings a meteor shower.
Named the Orionid meteor shower, it is expected to peak this weekend, with the best viewing opportunities before dawn Saturday and after midnight Sunday, according to the Planetary Society. Stargazers in the northern and southern hemispheres can catch a glimpse of the shower.
“The Orionids usually produce 10 to 20 meteors per hour at a dark site,” the society said on its website. “Though the Moon will be 37% full, it sets around midnight, leaving dark skies and good viewing (weather permitting) for the rest of the night.”
Halley, named after English astronomer Edmond Halley, is the most notable comet because it is one of the first times astronomers learned that comets could repeatedly visit our night skies, according to NASA. Before then, scientists believed comets only passed the solar system once.
It previously breezed past Earth in 1986 and its next return will be in 2061.
What is a meteor shower?
Resembling a shooting star, meteors are space rocks and dust that enter the Earth’s atmosphere, according to NASA. And when they start falling, resistance causes the rock to be hot, creating a bright streak.
Showers happen when comets shed these rocks and debris.
How to get a good view of a meteor shower
According to the Planetary Society, the meteors will be in the area of the constellation Orion, which will rise in the east after midnight during October. This meteor show is active from Sept. 26 until Nov. 22.
“Meteors will streak out from this area in all directions,” the society said.
You should get away from city lights, it advised, let your eyes adjust to the darkness and look at the darkest part of the sky.
The forecast for this weekend
Some cloud cover is expected this weekend, which may affect how visible the meteor shower will be.
The National Weather Service forecasts increasing clouds Friday night in Sacramento and mostly clear skies in the foothills. There will be partly cloudy skies Saturday night with a 20% chance of showers after 11 p.m..
In the South Lake Tahoe area, it’ll be mostly clear Friday night while Saturday night will likely be mostly cloudy.
This story was originally published October 19, 2023 at 10:11 AM.