A meteorite glowed brightly over Seattle Wednesday night, and many Seattleites took to social media after capturing it on video. The meteor was seen just after 10:15 p.m. and people quickly took to Twitter to share their videos. The National Weather Service Seattle confirmed in replies that it was a meteor.

According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Orionid Meteor Shower is active from Sept. 26 to Nov. 22 and is considered one of the best meteor showers of the year. Orionid meteors are known for their brightness and speed, which can leave glowing “trains” that can last for several seconds.

The meteors are space debris from Halley’s Comet. Each time Halley returns to the inner solar system, it sheds ice and rocky dust into space, which eventually becomes the Orionids in October and the Eta Aquarids in May, if they collide with Earth’s atmosphere, according to NASA.


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The Orionid Meteor Shower peaks mid-October every year and are expected to peak around Oct. 20-21 in 2022. During the peak period, approximately 15 meteors per hour can be seen in moonless skies.