Orionids meteor shower: When and Where to watch in India

New Delhi, Oct 22: Orionid meteor shower, are annual celestial event, is set to leave the skygrazers enthralled. At a particular time of the year, streaks of light appear across the sky when earth passes throught the debris of from Halley's Comet.

It is a great sight to watch but one must find an area which should be cloudless and the Moon should not be so bright that interferes with the viewing. This year, the Orionid meteor shower will peak around October 21 (Monday) to October 22 (Tuesday).

They can leave behind glowing trails of debris as the peices that enter earth's atmosphere grow hot due to the friction with air. The meteor shower is typically active from October 2 until November 7, and there will be optimal viewing conditions this week if weather conditions cooperate.

Where to watch in India:

The Orionids can be seen from anywhere on Earth and are visible in the Northern and Southern hemispheres. So they will be visible in India as well. The best time to view the meteor shower is after midnight.

According to NASA, for those in the Northern Hemisphere, their feet should face southeast while viewing the shower. Like any other celestial event, it is best viewed away from the city. NASA's page explains, "In less than 30 minutes in the dark, your eyes will adapt and you will begin to see meteors. Be patient - the show will last until dawn, so you have plenty of time to catch a glimpse."

There was another shower earlier thus year called showers. The Geminids are a meteor shower caused by the object 3200 Phaethon. Every year, in December, our planet Earth crosses the orbital path of an object called 3200 Phaethon, a mysterious body that is sometimes referred to as a rock comet.

The debris shed by 3200 Phaethon crashes into Earth's upper atmosphere at extremely high speed, to vaporize as colorful Geminid meteors. The meteors in this shower appear to come from a radiant in the constellation Gemini (hence the shower's name). However, they can appear almost anywhere in the night sky, and often appear yellowish in hue. Well north of the equator, the radiant rises about sunset, reaching a usable elevation from the local evening hours onwards.