Community Corner

Orionids Meteor Shower 2012 Peak: Where and When to Watch in Woodbury

Find out your local options to take in a great meteor shower that peaks this weekend.

The skies above Ojibway Park, the Bielenberg Sports Center or your own back yard could be a bit more exciting this weekend.

The offspring of Halley's comet are about to put on a show.

Earth passes through a stream of debris from Halley's through Sunday, Oct. 21, which gives us the benefit of the annual Orionids meteor shower.

Find out what's happening in Woodburywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The shower should be at its peak the night of Saturday, Oct. 20, until just before dawn on Oct. 21. This year, the moon will be setting at about midnight, which will keep the sky darkened enough that—barring cloud cover—you should be able to see up to 15 meteors per hour.

It's expected to be partly cloudy in Woodbury this evening.

Find out what's happening in Woodburywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Something else special about this show: With the second-fastest entry velocity of all the annual meteor showers, meteors from the Orionids produce yellow and green colors and occasionally produce an odd fireball.

Check out a light pollution map of Minnesota at the Minnesota Astronomical Society's web page.

Viewing Tips

Space.com has these tips and more:

Get as far away from city and other artificial lights as possible.

Meteor showers are best viewed in really dark skies. Try to keep the moon out of your field of vision, too.

Be patient. It may take your eyes a few minutes to adjust to the light and see the meteors.

You don’t need binoculars or a telescope — that will only limit the amount of sky you can see.

 

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