2 meteor showers peak on the same night this week — how to get the best views, despite a near-full moon - Live Science

The Orionids peak around Oct. 21. Here's when and where to look for the best chance of spotting meteors.

The Orionid meteor shower peaks overnight on Oct. 21-22, bringing a spectacular display of shooting stars to the autumn sky.

FORT MCMURRAY — There is just one week to go until the peak of the Orionid meteor shower. Wood Buffalo skywatchers could see some of the fastest meteors of the year streaking across the predawn sky. The Orionids peak overnight Oct. 21 and 22 and can produce up to 20 meteors per hour under dark, favourable conditions. The shower is active from Oct. 2 through Nov. 7. The meteors are comprised of debris left behind by Halley’s Comet, which last passed by in 1986. As Earth passes through the comet’s debris stream each October, the particles strike the atmosphere at about 68 kilometres per second. Richard Covey, a an amateur astronomer, published astrophotographer and member of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, says the Orionids are especially appealing because of their speed and their connection to one of astronomy’s best-known comets. “You’re literally watching tiny pieces of Halley’s Comet burn up in the atmosphere. They’re moving incredibly fast, so the Orionids can produce some very sharp, impressive streaks across the sky.”Moonlight will make this year’s peak more challenging. The Moon will be bright around Oct.