Community Corner
Orionids Meteor Shower 2012 Peak: When to Watch in Silver Spring
Shooting stars will be flying early in the morning, but it promises to be a show worth watching.
The offspring of Halley's comet are about to put on quite a show over the skies of Montgomery and Prince George's counties.
Earth passes through a stream of debris from Halley's beginning Oct. 15, which gives us the benefit of the annual Orionid meteor shower, though you probably won't see much until a bit later.
The shower should be at its best the night of Saturday, Oct. 20, until just before dawn on Oct. 21. This year, the moon will be setting at about midnight, which will keep the sky dark enough that—barring cloud cover—you should be able to see up to 15 meteors per hour.
Find out what's happening in Silver Springwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Francis Reddy, science writer for NASA Goddard's Astrophysics Science Division, and author of the book Celestial Delights: The Best Astronomical Events Through 2020, offers some tips for viewing the meteor shows in the locla area:
- Get as far away from light sources as possible—make sure there are no bright light sources behind you.
- Allow enough time for your eyes to adapt to the dark—which can take upwards of 20 minutes.
- Focus on the darkest part of the sky.
- Don't turn your head to talk with friends, stay focused on the sky because the meteors will come fast.
What makes this particular shower so cool? First, c'mon, it's a show of shooting stars.
Find out what's happening in Silver Springwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Also, though, there's no question about where to look for this one. Meteor showers get their names from the constellations in the sky where they can be spotted. And what's easier to spot than Orion the Hunter?
The stars tend to shoot from Orion's club, pierce Taurus the Bull, the Gemini twins, Leo the Lion and then, Canis Major, home of Sirius, the brightest star we can see—well, aside from the sun.
Something else special about this show: With the second-fastest entry velocity of all the annual meteor showers, meteors from the Orionids produce yellow and green colors and occasionally produce an odd fireball.
Obviously, you'll have more luck catching the shooting stars if you're in a place not polluted by light.
Montgomery County College's associate professor of physics Dr. Carrie Fitzgerald agrees, and added, "The moon in going to be in the 1st quarter, which is not bad for viewing."
And please remember that Montgomery County Parks close at sunset, and it is not permitted to be in them after that time. See the park's website for more information.
