How to Catch the Orionids, a Meteor Shower From Halley's Comet

What BBN said about it

1. 

   Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorStargazers are getting ready for the Orionid meteor shower, a fall favorite known for bright, speedy streaks that can sometimes linger in the sky for minutes, the New York Times reports.

2. 

   Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorAnd the streaks are pieces of Halley's Comet, so you get to look at actual comet dust without leaving your yard.

3. 

   Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorEarth passes through the comet's debris once in October and once in early May.

4. 

   Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorThe Orionids hit the atmosphere at just under seventy kilometers per second.

5. 

   Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorSeventy kilometers per second! That is a dust particle with somewhere to be.

6. 

   Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorNow the catch.

7. 

   Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorThe Planetary Society expects about twenty meteors an hour at the peak, and a bright waxing gibbous moon will reduce how many you see.

8. 

   Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorI'd say the moon is joining the experience as a bright, supportive co-host.

9. 

   Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorA co-host that makes the show harder to see.

10. 

    Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorForbes says there's a moonless window before dawn, so the co-host does take a break.

11. 

    Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorSo we are all watching dust from a comet that won't be back until twenty sixty-one, and the moon is the only one who showed up on time.