How to watch the Orionid meteor shower peak this weekend

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Thursday, October 18, 2018
How to watch the Orionid meteor shower peak this weekend
The Orionid meteor shower will peak this weekend, and viewers can expect to see a more active shower with up to 25 meteors per hour, according to AccuWeather.

Skywatchers, be sure to look to the heavens this weekend for your best chance to catch a glimpse of the famed Orionid meteor shower.

The shower will peak Sunday night into early Monday morning, and viewers can expect to see a more active shower with up to 25 meteors per hour, according to AccuWeather. Be warned that the shower will compete with a nearly full moon that could wash out the fainter meteors.

When you're out at night, keep the moon out of your field of vision to increase your chances of spotting a meteor. There's also a brief window of time before dawn where the moon will set, potentially increasing visibility.

The meteors originate from Halley's Comet, which travels the solar system approximately every 75 years. Though the most famous of all the comets is very far away, it leaves behind debris that appears as shooting stars when it streaks through our sky.