Orionid Meteor Shower Peaks Over Brazil Under New Moon Skies

Overview

• Peak activity is expected on the nights of Oct. 21–22 and Oct. 22–23, with the best viewing from midnight to dawn.
• The New Moon provides especially dark conditions, allowing clear views across much of Brazil.
• NASA and Brazil’s Observatório Nacional project about 15–20 meteors per hour in dark sites and roughly 5–10 per hour in urban areas.
• The streaks originate from Halley’s Comet, with meteoroids entering the atmosphere at about 66 km/s and often leaving bright, persistent trails.
• No special equipment is needed; look toward the eastern sky near Orion, and note that monitoring groups such as Project Exoss and the Global Meteor Network are tracking the shower, with sources differing on whether activity ends around Nov. 7 or Nov. 12.