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Some comets only pass the earth once in a lifetime, illuminating skies with meteor showers from the debris trailing behind them.
Halley’s Comet and its Orionids meteor system is one of those, visible to the naked eye every 75 years.
While we won’t see Halley again until 2061, the Orionids will still put on a show this month, and they’re not the only meteor shower in October.
There are three meteor showers, which occur when space debris enters the earth’s atmosphere and burns up some 62 miles from the ground.
When to see meteor showers this month
From tomorrow you can see the Draconids, caused by particles as small as a grain of sand from the comet 21 P/Giacobini-Zinner, according to the Royal Observatory.
You can see them in the Northern Hemisphere as early from nightfall on October 6, and they will last until October 10. Their peak will be around October 8 and 9.
After that, you might be able to spot the relatively slow and bright Southern Taurid meteor shower, which is expected to peak on October 10 and 11.
The shower actually started around around September 10 and will last until November 20, but a rate of just five an hour, you might be waiting a while before one appears in the sky.
Another fragment of the same debris cloud left by Comet Encke – the Northern Taurids – will be visible from the end of the month, peaking in the middle of November.
Perhaps the most dramatic of the displays will be the Orionids, whose maximum lands around October 21 and 22, although they have been visible since this week.
These fast moving meteors with fine trains fly overhead at a rate of 25 an hour, so they’re your most reliable bet if you want to venture out to look at the night sky.
You have until November 7 to catch a glimpse as they fly through the atmosphere at speeds of 41 miles per second.
Where can I see meteor showers?
‘Hunting for meteors, like the rest of astronomy, is a waiting game’, Royal Observatory Greenwich advises.
‘It’s best to bring a comfy chair to sit on and to wrap up warm as you could be outside for a while.’
The best spot is somewhere with a clear view of the stars, with very little light pollution.
You’ll certainly have better luck on Ben Nevis than Primrose Hill, but there’s always a happy medium.
Just pray you won’t fall victim to cloudy weather that would obstruct your view of the night sky.
Royal Observatory said: ‘Make sure there are no direct sources of light in your eyes, so that you can fully adapt to the local conditions and ensure that fainter meteors become visible.
‘There’s no advantage to using binoculars or a telescope; just look up to take in the widest possible view of the sky.’
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