Orionid meteor shower 2022: When can I watch the Orionid meteor shower and where in Yorkshire are the best places to see the meteor shower?

The Orionids are considered extraordinary because the meteors are pieces of Comet 1P/Halley, best known as Halley’s Comet.

The comet passes the earth only once every 75 to 76 years but this annual shower offers some people a chance who may miss the once-in-a-lifetime event.

While the comet orbits the sun, it leaves a path of microscopic debris. These pieces of debris travel into our planet’s atmosphere at speeds of roughly 41 miles per second, vaporising from friction with the air causing the streaks of light we call meteor showers.

When can I watch the Orionid meteor shower?

Here in the UK, the meteor shower normally occurs in late October every year.

is set to appear at its peak on Friday, October 21.

This year it is expected to peak between midnight on October 21 until dawn on October 22.

Where in Yorkshire can I watch the Orionid meteor shower?

It usually takes some time before you get to spot a meteor, just like the rest of astronomy, and is best waiting on a picnic chair, wrapped up in a blanket outside.

It is possible to see them with your eyes, so you don’t need a telescope to witness the astronomical wonder.

For the best conditions, you will need to find a safe place away from the street lights and other sources of light pollution.

Big open spaces are great locations to see meteors as they can be seen in all parts of the sky, so in Yorkshire that means fields, countryside and any other vast space.