Why Halley’s Comet Will Cause 2022’s Best Display Of ‘Shooting Stars’ Next Week

Science Why Halley’s Comet Will Cause 2022’s Best Display Of ‘Shooting Stars’ Next Week Jamie Carter Senior Contributor Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. I inspire people to go stargazing, watch the Moon, enjoy the night sky Following New! Follow this author to stay notified about their latest stories. Got it! Oct 12, 2022, 08:00pm EDT | New! Click on the conversation bubble to join the conversation Got it! Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin The annual Orionids meteor shower on October 21/22 is a product of Halley’s Comet and is set to be .

. . [+] one of the best displays of shooting stars of 2022 Getty Halley’s Comet hasn’t been seen in the inner solar system since 1986 and yet this month will be responsible for one of the finest meteor showers of 2022.

How can that be? Out near the orbit of Neptune and on the cusp of traveling back towards the Sun – which it will next round in 2061 – Halley’s Comet is a giant. It’s reckoned to be about 9. 3 by 5 miles in size.

When it last rounded the Sun it, like all comets, melted a little. As it did this giant snowball shed some ice, rock, pebbles and dust. That debris persists today in the solar system.

Our planet is a spaceship. As it hurtles around the Sun at 66,000 mph it occasionally travels through clouds of debris left by passing comets, both recent and ancient. Halley’s Comet passed through the Earth’s orbital path around the Sun so each year our planet passes through its stream of debris.

The result, of course, is not one, but two meteor showers each year caused by Halley’s Comet. This week it’s the Orionids meteor shower – so-called because its shooting stars appear to come from the constellation Orion – which peaks overnight on Thursday/Friday, October 20/21. The display of about 10-40 shooting stars per hour will be best after midnight.

A lack of moonlight mean dark skies and more impactful shooting stars. Such conditions have been rare in 2022, making this Orionids likely to be one of the best shooting star displays of the year. Although it occurs between September 26 and November 22, its peak is narrow.

The other meteor shower caused by Halley’s Comet is the Eta Aqaurids each May. The best way to see as many shooting stars per hour as possible is to watch from a dark place. A rural site is best though since Orionid shooting stars tend to be brighter than most it’s also worth watching from urban light-polluted locations.

MORE FOR YOU Juan Soto Contract Rejection Could Make Orioles A Better Buy Than Nationals The Absolute Best Blenders To Add To Upgrade Your Kitchen Arsenal Warriors Failure To Suspend Draymond Green Will Cost Them The NBA Championship: Jalen Rose The next meteor shower after the Orionids will be the Leonids, which will peak overnight on Thursday/Friday, 17/18 November, 2022. Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes. Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn .

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