FIREBALLS will light up the sky this weekend and early next as the Orionid meteor shower makes its yearly appearance.
In this case, Orionid meteors are made up of leftover material from Halley's Comet as it orbits the Sun.Every October or November, Earth passed through this field of debris.The chunks of space rock hit the atmosphere at huge speeds, and then burn up – creating a meteor shower. "The Orionid meteor shower is one of the best known and most reliable meteor showers in the annual calendar, visible from across the globe," said the Royal Observatory Greenwich.
"The famous comet swings by the earth only once every 75 to 76 years but this annual shower provides some compensation for those who may miss that once in a lifetime event."Meteor showers are very predictable events, so astronomers know exactly when you have the best chance of seeing them.But the best time to see them is at their peak intensity.So try looking out on Sunday night, or very early on Monday morning.