Orionidi

[vanillasky]

Friday, October 21 - Be sure to be outdoors before dawn to enjoy one of the year's most reliable meteor showers. The offspring of Comet Halley will grace the early morning hours as they return once again as the Orionid meteor shower. This dependable shower produces an average of 10-20 meteors per hour at maximum and the best activity begins before local midnight on the 20th, and reaches its best as Orion stands high to the south at about two hours before local dawn on the 21st.


Clouded out or the Moon too bright? Don't worry. You don't always need your eyes or perfect skies to meteor watch. By tuning an FM radio to the lowest frequency possible that does not receive a "clear signal", you can practice radio meteor listening. An outdoor FM antenna pointed at the zenith and connected to your receiver will increase your chances, but it's not necessary. Simply turn up the static and listen. Those hums, whistles, beeps, bongs, and occasional snatches of signals are our own radio signals being reflected off the meteor's ion trail!