Orionids Meteor Shower 2012: Time and where to watch
Orionids Meteor Shower 2012 have excited the sky watchers. It is time to enjoy the dazzling show brought directly to us by nature
The planet earth will be barrelling its way through the debris left behind the Haley comet between October 17 and 25th. As those debris enter the earth’s atmosphere they would burn, lighting up the night sky. So you can put out your cot on the rooftop if you are a star gazer, and wait for the show to begin.
The peak performance will be sometime between 21st and 22nd October, that is to say, between Sunday and Monday. “The most impressive display should come a few hours before dawn Sunday, when our planet hits the densest patch of Halley’s detritus,” a Space.com’s report said.
On Monday morning just before dawn, you might expect, in the words of Bill Cooke, head of the Meteoroid Environment Office at NASA’s Space Flight Center, “dozens of meteors per hour.” For those who have clear skies, the show could be “dazzling” the report added.
Orionids are very fast, and there may be fireballs in the shower. “The Orionids are fast meteors and also have fireballs. The radiant of the shower, will be observed north of Betelgeuse, the brightest star in the constellation Orion, the Mighty Hunter,” Nathaniel Servando a PAGASA (Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration) administrator had noted in the agency’s astronomical diary.
Orionids are so called because they appear to originate in the Orion. The Orionids are an annual occurrence, and happen around the same time every year and last for about a week. They are the most profilic among meteor showers.
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