Sun rises at 6:07am
Sun sets at 5:55pm
Moon phase: First Quarter, waxing crescent
Moon sets at 7:11pm Saturday
Moon rises at 8:30am Sunday
More Meteor Showers!
This weekend get the lounge chairs out and enjoy some late night excitement, it’s time for the annual Orionid Meteor Shower. The peak of the shower is expected after midnight Saturday into the wee hours of Sunday morning. But remember that meteor showers aren’t just one-night events. In fact, they can last for several weeks, as Earth passes through a stream of debris left behind by a comet, and in the case of the Orionids, it’s the famous Comet Halley.
The meteor activity may remain more or less constant for several nights in a row. The Orionid meteors generally start at late night, or around midnight, and display maximum numbers in the predawn hours. If you peer in a dark sky between midnight and dawn on October 22, it’s likely you’ll see some meteors flying.
Best of all, it’s just a few days past new moon right now! That means no moonlight to wash out the meteors; they should be nice and bright. You can expect to see as many as 15 falling stars per hour during the prime viewing times.
The radiant point for the Orionids is in the northern part of Orion, near Orion’s club. Orion rises in the east at late evening, fairly close to midnight. The brightest star in the sky, Sirius, is to the southwest of Orion on the sky’s dome, and the Belt stars always point to Sirius.
Do you need to know Orion to see the meteors? Nah. The meteors appear in all parts of the sky. But if you trace the paths of the meteors backwards, you’ll see they all seem to come from this constellation.
After sunset
Can’t wait until the late night for a star show? Just enjoy the bright stars and planets gracing the skies after sunset. Look west to see the crescent moon set early in the evening. Following the moon down to the western horizon will be Scorpius with the beautiful star Antares marking its eye. Above and to the left a bit, notice a planet: Saturn. Good viewing of this “Lord of the Rings” if you have binoculars or a telescope! But just looking at Saturn and knowing what it is can bring you great joy, another world complete with its own set of moons, a place we have sent space probes, a mysterious promise of future discoveries.
Thank you for keeping up with the Night Sky articles. If you are out later on in the week, each star rises about four minutes earlier each day than written here, and the moon rises 50 minutes later. Night Sky is researched and compiled by Lisa Davis-Burnett. Earthsky.org is a key resource for information and images. Questions or comments? Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
