A cosmic show is coming to Central Florida this weekend. A meteor shower is set to peak and dazzle the early morning sky Saturday and Sunday.
It’s called the Orionid meteor shower as the streaks will center around the constellation Orion. Earth will be passing through the tail of Halley’s comet. Bits of dust will hit our atmosphere at speeds of up to 41 miles per second and burn up.
Lohman Planetarium director Seth Mayo says these particles pose no risk to us here on the ground.
“They're just more pretty, even though they can look daunting at times," said Mayor. "And if you just catch that little brief moment of that Meteor streaking through the through the sky, it's totally worth it.”
If stargazers are in an area of low light pollution and clear skies, they could see as many as 20 "shooting stars" from the meteor shower each hour.
The Orionid meteor shower is happening for an entire month, but is predicted to peak Saturday and Sunday, between midnight and dawn.
The best way to view the event, said Mayo is by "just being patient and looking up. You may see these little bits of comet debris from Halley's Comet shriek overhead, it's beautiful."
The weather forecast for this weekend is favorable for stargazing — not just looking for shooting stars.
"It makes for just a lovely time to experience the universe in front of you and I hope you're able to see it," said Mayo.
