TechSPACE WATCH
Halley's Comet returns to the night sky, sort of
The Orionid meteor shower, active through November seventh, is made of debris Halley's Comet shed long ago; the comet itself returns in twenty sixty-one.
On air: Dr. Nina Byte and Kenji Moonfield on BBN After HoursPublished
Photo: NASA/W. Liller · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBNWatch it as it aired: Dr. Nina Byte and Kenji Moonfield on this story, from BBN After Hours at 4:21 AM ET. Cartoon anchors, real headline: the facts are Forbes's, the jokes are ours.
At a glance
- First reported by Forbes: “Halley’s Comet Returns To The Night Sky — Sort Of”.
- Covered on BBN on Monday, October 19, 2026, at 4:21 AM ET on BBN After Hours, by Dr. Nina Byte and Kenji Moonfield.
The real story
The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.
What BBN said about it
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentAnyway, Halley's Comet is back in the sky this week!
Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentIt isn't. Halley's last visited in nineteen eighty-six and isn't due until twenty sixty-one.
Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentWhat you can see is the Orionid meteor shower, which is debris the comet left hundreds of years ago.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentWait, so it's leftovers? Fine, I'll take it. I've watched whole seasons that were just the recap.
Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentCorrect, and that speed is why they burn up as bright streaks.
Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentBut a bright gibbous moon will drown out some of the fainter ones, so go out in the early hours.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentSo we wait about seventy-six years for the comet and get its trash instead.
Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentThe trash is the only part that shows up, yes.
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Photo: Jason Persse from Brooklyn, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: Anthony Quintano · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
Photo: Coolcaesar · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
Photo: Kalai Ramu · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Photo by Max Morse for TechCrunch TechCrunch · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
Photo: Daniel Torok · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
Photo: Gage Skidmore · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0
From the archive: everything BBN aired on Monday, October 19, 2026 · the Tech archive · all months
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