Posted: 10/20/2007 6:25:48 PM EDT
(Oct. 19) -- A junior version of the famous Perseid meteor shower is scheduled to reach its maximum before sunrise on Sunday morning, Oct. 21. This meteor display is known as the Orionids because the meteors seem to fan out from a region to the north of Orion's second brightest star, ruddy Betelgeuse.
After peaking Sunday, activity will begin to slowly descend, dropping back to around five per hour around Oct. 26. Weather permitting and under very dark skies away from light pollution, skywatchers could see several meteors per hour. Rates will be significantly lower in cities and suburban areas.
Interestingly, this year, brilliant Mars is nearby and the apparent source of these meteors, called the radiant, will be positioned roughly between Mars and Betelgeuse.
When and where to watch
Currently, Orion appears ahead of us in our journey around the Sun, and has not completely risen above the eastern horizon until after 11:00 p.m. local daylight time. Expect to see few, if any Orionids before midnight – especially this year, with a bright waxing gibbous Moon glaring high in the western sky.
But moonset is around 1:30 a.m. local daylight time on Sunday, and that's a good time to begin preparing for your meteor vigil. At its best several hours later, at around 5:00 a.m. when Orion is highest in the sky toward the south, Orionids typically produce around 20 to 25 meteors per hour under a clear, dark sky.
"Orionid meteors are normally dim and not well seen from urban locations," said meteor expert Robert Lunsford, adding, ". . . it is highly suggested that you find a safe rural location to see the best Orionid activity."
According to Lunsford, Orionid activity has been increasing noticeably since Oct. 17 when they were appearing at roughly five per hour in dark-sky conditions. The last stragglers usually appear sometime in early to mid Nov. |
so whos going to take pics of the meteors? im going to try and wake up around 5am. i live in the country so i should be able to see plenty. ive never really used my "bulb" setting on my nikon d40 but im going to give it a shot.
|
