Meteors of the Orionid meteor shower streak as they cross through the milkyway in the mountainous area of Tannourine in northern Lebanon, on October 3, 2021. (Photo by Ibrahim CHALHOUB / AFP) (Photo by IBRAHIM CHALHOUB/AFP via Getty Images)

COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) -The Orionid meteor shower will peak during the early morning hours of Sunday, Oct. 22.

During a dark sky with no moon this meteor shower will typically produce 10 to 20 meteors per hour, the Orionids are also known to be fast moving with long persistent trains and can be bright at times. This year, the moon will be in the first quarter phase and will set around midnight and should not interfere with viewing.

The Orionid meteor shower is a result of Earth passing through debris from Halley’s Comet. As Earth moves through the debris path, bits and pieces slam into Earth’s atmosphere and produce tiny fire balls called meteors. It takes Earth a few weeks to completely move through the left-over bits of the comet so the Orionids can be seen before and after the peak.  

You won’t need any special equipment to view the meteor shower, all you need to do is look up!