Toronto skywatchers will have a chance to catch one of fall’s most beautiful annual celestial displays this week. The Orionid meteor shower reaches its peak overnight on Wed., Oct. 21, into Thurs., Oct. 22, sending bright streaks of light into the atmosphere in the early morning hours.
According to NASA, the Orionids, or what some call shooting stars, are known for their speed and brightness, with meteors travelling at about 66 kilometres per second as they enter Earth’s atmosphere. Under ideal dark-sky conditions, the shower can produce around 10 to 20 meteors per hour.
And there’s something really pretty about this week’s meteor shower: the Orionids are tiny pieces of debris left behind by Halley’s Comet! The famous, short-period comet is visible to the naked eye from Earth roughly every 74 to 79 years (it’ll next return in 2061), but every October, Earth passes through the comet’s dusty trail, creating flashes of light as the particles burn up in our atmosphere.
If you want to catch the show, then set an early alarm (or go to sleep late, whatever’s your thing). The best viewing window in Toronto is expected to be between 3:45 a.m. and 6 a.m. on Thursday, when skies will be at their darkest before dawn. The moon will set at approximately 3:32 a.m. that morning, leaving a few hours of darker skies for meteor watching (super important since a bright waxing gibbous moon will make many of the fainter meteors harder to spot earlier in the night).
For the best chance of seeing the Orionids, find a dark location away from Toronto’s bright city lights, preferably somewhere with a wide, unobstructed view of the sky.
Start by facing southeast and scanning above. The meteors originate near the constellation Orion, but they can streak across virtually any part of the sky.
You won’t need a telescope or binoculars to see the show. Just give your eyes about 30 minutes to adjust to the darkness and be patient (some Orionids can even leave glowing trails that stick around briefly after the meteor disappears).
And if you miss the peak, there’s still a chance to catch a few shooting stars! According to EarthSky, the Orionids have a broad peak lasting several nights, and could remain active until Nov. 7.
If you’re up for a bit of a roadtrip, Muskoka is hosting a series of guided stargazing experiences beneath some of Ontario’s darkest skies over the next few weeks.