Watch out for those ‘fireballs’ during Orionid meteor shower this month

Watch out for possible “fireballs” in the sky when the Orionid meteor shower happens this month –weather permitting.

In its astronomical diary for October, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said yesterday the Orionids is capable of producing interesting activity from Oct. 17 to 25.

“The Orionids are fast meteors and can produce fireballs,” Pagasa said.

The shower is visible to the naked eye.

Elenita Ingalla, officer-in-charge of Pagasa’s Astronomy Research and Development Section (AsRDS), said the best time to observe the Orionids will be on the night of Oct. 22 until morning of the following day.

“At any given morning session, it may be more or less interesting than expected. In any case, clear mornings during the activity period are always a good time to look for meteors from dark sites,” Ingalla said.

“The shower may reach 20 to 25 per hour that may be observed at favorable sky conditions, but sometimes there are lulls even during the traditional maximum peak nights of Oct. 22 to 23,” she added.

Ingalla said the meteor showers would be visible in all parts of the country and in countries in the northern hemisphere.

To find the Orionids, she advised meteor enthusiasts to face south-southeast.

The Orionids are named after the constellation Orion, which marks the celestial location of the meteors. – Helen Flores