Late October fireworks will be on display with the Orionids meteor shower. This year, the peak of the shower is on the same night as a new moon, making it an optimal viewing opportunity. What sets the Orionids apart from other meteor showers is the incredibly fast-moving meteors that leave lingering trails, often punctuated by bright fireballs. They may not produce many meteors per hour but are considered to be quite beautiful.

Meteor showers happen when Earth passes through the dust debris of a comet. In this case, it is the famous Halley’s comet that is the Orionids origin. British astronomer Sir Edmund Halley was the first to calculate the comet’s repeat performance, but he didn’t live to see his prediction come true. Halley’s comet orbits the sun about every 76 years and its nucleus sheds material on each trip. Speeding through Earth’s atmosphere, fragments are vaporized by friction and heat and bright streaks of light blaze across the sky.

Orionids appear to stream from a point near the constellation Orion the Hunter. To find the radiant point, look for the familiar three stars in a row that mark Orion’s belt. Looking up to the left, there will be two bright stars, Pollux and Castor, that mark the heads of the Gemini twins. The strong, steady light beaming nearby is the king of the planets, Jupiter.