The Orionids Meteor Shower is expected to peak later this week, but will the unpredictable Vancouver weather allow Vancouverites to witness the dazzling display?
As of Monday morning, the forecast for Wednesday, October 20, when the Orionids Meteor Shower is expected to peak, is not promising. You might have a better chance of spotting Jennifer Lopez filming in Vancouver.
The current forecast suggests it will be mostly cloudy with a high chance of precipitation.
But, with the local forecast sometimes being unpredictable, there’s still a chance.
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Outside of the grim weather forecast, a full moon is also likely to wash out the view of the meteor shower.
There are some breaks in the cloud cover expected on Tuesday evening.
Environment Canada
Experts say skywatchers in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres can expect to see rates of up to 20 meteors per hour, but only under the best conditions away from city lights.
According to EarthSky.org, the Orionids are not the strongest shower of the year and are not known for producing very rich displays.
They also say that the meteors in the Orionid shower are actually debris left behind by Comet Halley.
Orionid meteors are extremely fast, plummeting into the Earth’s atmosphere at about 66 kilometres per second.
To view the light show, it’s suggested that you find the shape of Orion, the hunter, with the meteor shower’s point of origin being near Orion’s sword, slightly north of his left shoulder, the star Betelgeuse.
A location away from city lights is ideal, as the meteors will be fighting with the full moon to wash out your view.
The Orionids Meteor Shower occurs when Earth passes through the stream of debris left behind by Comet Halley, the parent comet of the Orionid shower.
With files from Laine Mitchell
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