Since the beginning of October, we can see shooting stars in the night sky. These are the Orionids which will reach their maximum intensity in a few days. We tell you everything about this celestial spectacle!
In a few days, you will be able to witness the peak intensity of the Orionids, a particularly important meteor shower of the fall. This extends over several weeks between October 2 and November 7 but has a peak of activity on October 22 when the number of observable shooting stars will increase considerably. On this date, it will be possible to see around 20 meteors per hour. Enough to spend a lovely evening with your head in the stars!
Like other showers of shooting stars, the Orionids are produced by dust from a comet. This time it’s Comet 1P/Halley, also responsible for the Eta Aquarids that occur in the spring. When the Earth passes through this cloud of particles in its orbit, this dust enters the atmosphere and disintegrates there, burning up under the effect of speed. The Orionids are among the fastest shooting stars known. They move at a speed of 66 kilometers per second, which is faster than the famous Perseids that you probably had the opportunity to observe during the summer.
If the weather is good, the Orionids should offer us a beautiful show, particularly during their peak of activity on October 22. Although their radiant point, that is to say the source of the shooting stars, is in the constellation Orion, the specialist website Starwalk advises looking about 45 to 50 degrees from the latter. This is where the longest and brightest meteors should be found. To quickly and easily recognize the constellation Orion, do not hesitate to use a sky map like that on the Stelvision website or a mobile application like Sky Tonight (accessible on Google Play and the App Store).
The best time to admire this shower of shooting stars is around 2 a.m. when they will be highest in the sky. But it will be possible to admire meteors from midnight until dawn. To benefit from it, you don’t need any special equipment, you just need to open your eyes and be patient. Ideally, sit on a deck chair so that your gaze is naturally directed towards the celestial vault and thus avoid neck pain. To complete this astronomy evening, bring a blanket and a thermos of hot drink.
