Watch the skies this week and you could see a piece of Halley's comet, even though it won't be passing Earth until 2061, reports New Scientist's Cian O'Luanaigh.
As the comet travels on its 76-year trip around the sun, it leaves small pieces of itself behind. These meteoroids of dust and ice, travelling at over 237,000 kilometres per hour, collide with the Earth's atmosphere as it crosses the comet's orbit in early May and mid-October. The meteoroids burn up quickly high in the atmosphere, creating the streaks of a meteor shower.
October's meteors appear to come from the direction of the constellation of Orion and earn it the name of the Orionid meteor shower. Last year, NASA recorded 43 Orionid meteors, most of which burned up more than 96 kilometres above the ground.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
The shower peaks Thursday/Friday and is best viewed in a clear, dark sky after 11 pm in your local time, when the sky will be at its darkest.
