(Forbes) – Will you be alive in 2061? If not, your only chance to see something of Halley’s Comet comes in both early May and late October each year when Earth moves through streams of particles the great comet deposited in the inner solar system in 1986. As those particles hit Earth’s atmosphere they energize and glow for a millisecond, something that happens as many as 40 times per hour to create a meteor shower. That’s what is happening on Monday/Tuesday as the Orionid meteor shower peaks after midnight.
Technically speaking, nothing whatsoever. The Orionid meteor shower gets its name from the constellation its shooting stars appear to come from—Orion the Hunter. Astronomers call this the “radiant point”, which more precisely is close to an open cluster of stars called Collinder 69. A lovely sight though binoculars and easy to see with the naked eye from a dark sky site, Collinder 69 can be found just above Orion the Hunter’s head. However, just look in the general direction of Orion’s Belt and you’ll see any shooting stars from the Orionid meteor shower. READ MORE
