Craving some meteors in you near future? Well you are in luck because the Orionids peak this weekend! So grab a comfy blanket and your best batch of hot cocoa and enjoy the show.
Orionids by Photos by Lito
WHEN is it?
This shower is scheduled to peak on the morning of the 21st but you should be able to see it from now until then! For reference the compilation photo above was actually taken a couple days after the actual peak last year. Unfortunately, the moon will be up for quite a bit of the night, not setting until 4am. So the best time to see this shower is in the early morning/predawn. Make sure you not only get up before the sun rises but also before twilight starts. 
WHERE should you look?
So the constellation these are close to is Orion, hence the name. They are closest, however, to Orion’s star Betelgeuse which is pretty easy to find in the sky. It is the reddish star that is Orion’s shoulder/armpit. However, if you aren’t that familiar with the sky don’t worry; you can use an app (like the one I suggested).
Pick a star in the constellation and use the app to figure out where the constellation is. You can even figure out when it rises and sets. If you use the app I do, make sure you turn on sky object trajectories and use that as a guide for where the star (or constellation) will be at what time. It should be on automatically but in case it is not, it is the button on the upper right of the settings (as shown on the right). Also fun fact Betelgeuse is my FAVORITE star…. well besides the Sun of course 😉
WHAT are the meteors made of?
These meteors are actually made from our beloved Halley’s comet. They are the remnants of dust and debris that the sun burned off the comet and thus were left in the Earth’s orbit. Every time at this year the Earth collides with those remnants and they burn up in our atmosphere to make up the Orionids. Side note: the Eta Aquarids are also remnants of Halley’s comet. They come every May.
