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The famous Comet Halley is about halfway through its approximately 76-year orbit around the Sun and will have reached its furthest point from its parent star in December 2023. The comet will not be visible in the night sky until 2061.

But the debris the comet leaves in its wake – known as the Orionid meteor shower – causes meteors to streak through Earth’s atmosphere.

According to the American Meteor Society, the annual celestial display will be most visible during the peak Sunday night into Monday, with an estimated rate of 10 to 20 meteors per hour.

The best time to see the Orionids is anytime after midnight, when the constellation Orion — the radiant constellation of the Orionids, or the area from which meteors appear to emerge — is high in the sky, says Robert Lunsford, the fireball report coordinator for the Orionids . American Meteor Association. The display will be visible in all parts of the world except Antarctica, where the sun does not currently set, he added.

But even a few days after peak activity, the Orionids are still expected to produce a similar number of meteors. “The Orionids have a kind of flat peak – a plateau of activity,” Lunsford said. “So if it’s cloudy on that particular (peak) night, the next night it should be very close to the same activity as before.”

And later in October, the supermoon known as the Hunter’s Moon will have less impact on meteor sightings. This moon seemed big and bright, reaching its full phase on Thursday and will continue to wane through the end of the month. Try to observe meteors in the opposite direction from the moon to avoid the reflected light that could obscure the visibility of faint particles, Lunsford suggested. The Orionids are active until November 22.

As the Earth orbits the sun, it encounters the debris trail of Halley’s Comet twice a year. The first occurs in May, when particles from the comet’s outgoing limb trigger the annual Eta Aquariids. The second track, produced during Halley’s return to the Sun from the outer solar system, creates the Orionids in October.

When the particles enter Earth’s atmosphere, they burn up and create the meteors we see shooting into the sky. The larger particles can produce so-called fireballs, meteors that are brighter than the planet Venus, according to NASA.

The particles of asteroids, which are made up of rock and metal, sometimes end up on the ground, where they are known as meteorites, Lunsford said. But a comet made up of ice, frozen gases and rocks is typically too fragile to survive a journey through Earth’s atmosphere, he added.

For skygazers hoping to spot a meteor, NASA recommends sitting outside up to 30 minutes in advance so your eyes can adjust to the dark. And if you can see at higher altitudes, the clearer the sky will be and the less moonlight will spread, he said.

The best part of seeing a meteor shower, Lunsford said, is “connecting with nature and being part of the universe.” Everything up there is in motion. So no night is the same – everything has changed a little – and no year is the same.”

If you missed Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS and its closest pass to Earth on October 12, you still have a chance to see the comet until early November, NASA predicts. Look for the celestial wonder in the western part of the night sky shortly after sunset.

Astronomers originally estimated that the comet orbited back in time about 80,000 years, but as of October 14, observational data revealed that the comet had a new path that could allow it to be completely removed from our solar system.

There are two full moons left for 2024: the Beaver Moon, which is also a supermoon, on November 15 and the Cold Moon on December 15, according to the Farmers’ Almanac.

In the meantime, skygazers can anticipate a busy meteor shower season that will conclude 2024. Here are peak dates for upcoming sky activity, according to the American Meteor Society:

Southern Taurids: November 4-5

Northern Taurids: November 11-12

Leonids: November 17-18

Geminids: December 13-14

Ursids: December 21-22