Australian Stargazers: Get Ready for the Orionids Meteor Shower Spectacle

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If you happen to be up bright and early on Wednesday morning, you might be treated to some bright meteors soaring across the sky thanks to the Orionid meteor shower.

While the Orionids zoom across southern skies every October, they’re at their peak early this week on 21 and 22 October.

But while they might bring up to 18 meteors per hour, professor Jonti Horner, astronomer at the University of Southern Queensland, said they’re the “fourth best” meteor shower of the year.

“I view it as a nice warming up,” he told SBS News.

The night sky is about to dazzle with one of the year’s most spectacular meteor showers, set to peak in mid-December. This celestial event promises a stunning display that sky gazers won’t want to miss.

“This is one which, if you happen to be up at the early hours of the morning, will add a bit of value while you have your morning coffee,” Horner said.

As you prepare for this cosmic show, it’s worth noting what makes this meteor shower so special. It presents a rare chance to witness remnants of Halley’s Comet, arguably the most renowned comet known to humankind. Halley’s Comet has been orbiting the sun for thousands, potentially tens of thousands of years, leaving behind a trail of debris that illuminates our skies during such meteor showers.

For those eager to learn more about cosmic phenomena, an intriguing topic to explore is the so-called “space monster,” a rogue planet that voraciously consumes everything in its path. This gas-guzzling entity is a captivating part of our universe’s vast and mysterious landscape.

You can watch the Orionids meteor shower from 2 October up until 7 November, but it’ll be at its peak in the early morning of Wednesday 22 October.

“It’s best viewed between 3am and 5am [AEDT],” Horner said.

“It’s a really nice opportunity to see fragments left behind by Halley’s Comet, which is, of course, the most famous of all comets. That comet has been going around the sun on its current orbit for thousands, if not tens of thousands of years.

“Every time it goes around the sun every six or seven years, it dumps a lot of dust and debris into the solar system,” Horner said.

Those are the meteors you’ll see over the month, he said, but we’re now entering the “densest bit of dust”, which translates to more meteors.

What can I expect to see?

That all depends on where you’re located in Australia.

“The further north you are in Australia, the better show you’ll get,” Horner said.

“The further south in Australia you go … you’ll see fewer meteors per hour than you would from somewhere further north.”

Those in Darwin could expect to see close to 18 meteors an hour at the shower’s peak.

But down south in Hobart, you might see closer to 12 each hour.

But regardless of where you are in the country, if you’ve got the right conditions and you stay out long enough, you can expect to see between 10 and 15 meteors in one hour.

‘A warm-up’ for December’s show

But Horner is quick to emphasise this isn’t the best meteor shower of the year.

“It’s very much the warm-up,” he said.

“We have the Geminids in December, which are an order of magnitude better than this. They’re the best shower of the year.”

He said while the Orionids might bring 10 to 15 meteors an hour, the Geminids showcase closer to 50.

“The Orionids are a good show, but it’s not the best of the year. I don’t want people going out expecting to see hundreds and then being disappointed,” he said.

The Geminids will peak on 14 and 15 December.