Orionid meteor shower

2023-10-29

Every October, the Orionid meteor shower comes to the earth. As one of the seven major meteor showers in the world, the Orionid meteor shower begins to stage an ultimate romance this month. This so-called "the most suitable day to make a wish in October" has finally arrived.

The Orionid meteor shower is a gift given to us by Halley's Comet in October every year. It is extremely fast but also very numerous. About 20 meteors streak across the sky every hour. It is one of the spectacular scenes that cannot be missed every year!

But have you ever thought about it, isn’t this meteor shower called the Orionid meteor shower? Why is it related to Halley’s Comet, which cycles every 76 years? What is the relationship between them?

Orionid meteor shower source

Orion is made up of many stars, and these stars, just like our sun, will not easily come over for us to watch.

The Orionid meteor shower is emitted by Halley's Comet. Halley's Comet returns to the core of the solar system every 76 years. The debris scattered in the comet's orbit falls into the atmosphere and burns and glows, forming the Orionid meteor shower.

Although they are called the Orionid meteor shower, they are actually not as closely related to the constellation Orion as we might imagine. It’s just that from our perspective, the meteors “appear to be emitted from the constellation Orion”, that’s all!

It's as if Orion is made up of stars from several different galaxies, but from the perspective of the Earth, they "appear to be in the same area"!

If you miss this meteor shower, don't worry, because there are other meteor showers that appear at fixed times every year.

When Halley's Comet passes by the Earth every year, it will bring the Eta Aquariid meteor shower in May and the Orionid meteor shower in October; Comet Swift-Tuttle will bring the Perseid meteor shower in August; Temple-Tuttle will bring the Perseids meteor shower. Comet Er will bring the Leonid meteor shower in November.

What is the difference between a meteor and a comet?

Comet is like a relative of the earth, it has its own fixed orbit and will come and go every once in a while; while a meteor is like an uninvited guest that breaks into the earth accidentally.

Comets are composed of ice and rock dust. They spend most of their time in a low-temperature dormant state. Only when they move a few astronomical units away from the sun, the ice on the surface of the comet begins to evaporate, and the released gas and dust accumulate around the comet core, forming a comet. A huge cloud-like object called a coma. The coma floats into space and forms a thin tail.

Meteors are formed when dust and solid blocks from the universe fall into the atmosphere and rub against the atmosphere to emit light.

Comets are one source of meteors because they leave behind large amounts of dust particles as they orbit. When the Earth encounters these dust particles along its orbit, a meteor shower is formed.

Meteor showers are produced by comets. People will make good wishes when encountering meteor showers. It can be said that meteors are associated with luck and beauty.

In fact, comets are harder to see than meteors. If you are lucky enough to see them, make a wish in your heart!