Orionid Meteor shower visible overnight

These have been known to produce up to 80 meteors per hour but his year the numbers are expected to be lower.

The annual Orionid meteor shower will see around 20 meteors passing through the sky every hour.

So what exactly is it? Don’t worry – Newsround’s got you covered. That way, you’ll spot the meteors with the longest tails.

The shower might not be the strongest in the astronomical calendar though stargazers will still be treated to about 15 meteors per hour.

The Orionids happen each year in mid-October and sometimes into November. Every October they become visible for several nights when the Earth intersects Halley’s orbit.

Image copyright Digital Vision. Each year as Earth passes through these meteors, they burn up in our planet’s atmosphere, appearing to some viewers as “shooting stars”. The meteors, also known as shooting stars, are named Orionids because they appear to radiate from the constellation Orion, named after a hunter of Greek lore. The radiant, or apparent point of origin, for this shower will be near the red giant Alpha Orionis (Betelguese), but meteors may occur from any point in the sky.

Just make sure you head to somewhere remote, with no light pollution or tall buildings/trees in the way.

“There’s a little too much cloud across the northern part of the country, so I don’t think it’s a great night for them”, Law said.

“Away from city lights is ideally where you want to be to see more meteors”.

What is the Orionids Meteor Shower?

With all meteor showers, dry, clear skies is key so people are advised to check with the Met Office for the latest weather reports and find out the best times.

Those who hope for a sight of Uranus should look for a blue-green body, visible to the naked eye when looking to the skies in the southeast.

Good luck and happy viewing!