Space.com - 10/21//13, Elizabeth Howel

The Orionid meteor shower takes place in October and November each year, peaking in mid-October. The Orionids are noted for being bright and fragments, according to NASA, with an average speed of about 148,000 mph (238,000 kph).

The Orionids, like all meteor showers, are named after the constellation in which they appear to come from, which in this case is Orion the Hunter. While the constellation is best visible in the Northern Hemisphere, the meteor shower is visible in both the northern and southern hemispheres.

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Nationalgeographic, By: Andrew Fazekas, 05/03/2013

Halley’s Comet won’t swing by Earth for another 48 years, but you won’t have to wait that long to watch bits of the iconic comet zip across our skies. That’s because this weekend Earth smashes into a stream of material, known as the Eta Aquarid meteors, shed from the speedy iceberg in years past.

Coming through the inner solar system every 76 years, Halley melts a bit from the heat of the sun and sheds some pounds as gas, dust, and rocks break off.  All this material then gets deposited in clouds of debris which follow the same orbit as the comet.

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