Stargazers should get ready for
a night of shooting stars because the Orionid meteor shower is
about to peak, astronomers said Tuesday.
The most prolific yearly meteor shower associated with
Halley's Comet is likely to peak on the night between October 21
and 22.
The Orionids, so named because they appear to originate
from a point within the constellation of Orion, always arrive in
autumn because that's when the Earth crosses through a section
of space rife with debris from Halley's Comet, which was last
seen in the inner parts of the Solar System in 1986 and will
next appear in mid-2061.
The Orionids last approximately one week in late October.
In some years, meteors may occur at rates of 50-70 per hour.
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