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Orionid meteor shower peak tonight! (Oct 20/21 after midnight/before dawn)
earthsky.org ^ | October 20, 2017 | Bruce McClure

Posted on 10/18/2017 4:00:07 PM PDT by ransomnote

This weekend presents the Orionid meteor shower at its best, and tonight – the night of October 20-21, 2017 – may well be the shower’s peak night. Late Saturday night and Sunday morning may be good times to watch as well. On both of these nights, meteors should become visible starting at late evening. They’ll probably be most prolific in the few hours before dawn on October 21, but try watching before dawn on October 22, too.

From a dark site, you might see a maximum of about 10 to 15 meteors per hour.

Fortunately, today is only one day after new moon, so there’ll be no moonlight to ruin this year’s Orionid meteor shower. In fact, it will hard to catch the young waxing crescent moon low in the west after sunset. Click here to find out the moon’s setting time in your sky, remembering to check the moonrise and moonset box.

As is standard for most meteor showers, the best time to watch this shower will be between the hours of midnight and dawn – regardless of your time zone.

The meteors – vaporizing bits of comet ice and dust – will look like streaks of light in the night sky. They’re sometimes called shooting stars.

(Excerpt) Read more at earthsky.org ...


TOPICS: Astronomy; Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: astronomy; halleyscomet; meteor; meteors; meteorshower; orion; orionid; orionids; peak; shower
For some reason, the format of the website is such that this article is dated ahead two days to Oct. 20.
1 posted on 10/18/2017 4:00:07 PM PDT by ransomnote
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To: ransomnote

Meteor showers usually always disappoint me. I live near an urban area, so the sky is somewhat obscured by light pollution, but you’d think some big, bright ones would still get through. I wait forever just to see one or two meteors.


2 posted on 10/18/2017 4:07:29 PM PDT by fwdude (The perverted left-bound train is always accusing the train station of "moving right.")
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To: ransomnote
I get up for work at 0400 - good time to head outside with my 1st cup of coffee.
Thanks for the heads up.
3 posted on 10/18/2017 4:07:49 PM PDT by Psalm 73 ("Gentlemen, you can't fight in here - this is the War Room".)
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To: ransomnote

Did I lose track of time? Wouldn’t be the first time, but my calendar says today is the 18th.


4 posted on 10/18/2017 4:29:34 PM PDT by Smellin Salt
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To: ransomnote

Orion is rising around 10:30 pm so it will be about 03:00 before it is yay high. Look up and to the left of Betelgeuse for the shooting stars.

5 posted on 10/18/2017 4:33:06 PM PDT by outofsalt ( If history teaches us anything it's that history rarely teaches us anything)
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To: fwdude

Get out of town!

It is well worth the effort. Mrs BN & I drove up to the Blue Ridge Parkway several years ago to see a meteor shower. Took the folding chaise lounges & sleeping bags. After a while seeing many meteors we started counting. By the time we called it a night we had seen 1500+. White, green, orange!

Wonderful night!


6 posted on 10/18/2017 6:56:34 PM PDT by BwanaNdege ("The church ... is not the master or the servant of the state, but the conscience" - Luther)
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bkmk


7 posted on 10/19/2017 3:56:03 AM PDT by glock rocks (... so much win!)
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To: BwanaNdege

I might do that, but it would have to be WAY out. Like 80 miles. DFW puts off the light of a small sun.


8 posted on 10/19/2017 11:07:47 AM PDT by fwdude (The perverted left-bound train is always accusing the train station of "moving right.")
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To: fwdude

The meteors will appear to be coming out of the constellation Orion. Look toward Orion then head away from DFW, putting the light pollution at your back.


9 posted on 10/19/2017 4:24:59 PM PDT by BwanaNdege ("The church ... is not the master or the servant of the state, but the conscience" - Luther)
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To: outofsalt; ransomnote

Just a coincidence?

Nearly 200 report fireball streaking across Northeast sky
News12 ^ | 10/20/2017
https://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3597104/posts


10 posted on 10/20/2017 9:10:10 PM PDT by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either satire or opinion. Or both.)
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To: BenLurkin

Hmmmm...good catch.
A watcher said he’d seen about 4 an hour at night a few days in advance and that he expected this meteor shower to be good.


11 posted on 10/20/2017 11:43:28 PM PDT by ransomnote
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