The Orionids meteor shower will be visible in the Philippines this month, as the earth passes through dust released by Halley’s Comet.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said the meteor shower will be active from October 17-25. The best nights to view it will be on October 21-22.
At its peak, PAGASA believes the shower will reach at least 15 meteors per hour.
The Orionids are described as fast meteors and have fireballs.
According to PAGASA scientists, the earth is currently passing through the stream of debris left behind by Halley’s Comet, the parent comet of the Orionid shower.
The meteors will be visible to the east in the evening, gradually moving to the west as dawn approaches.
Also this month, the ‘square of Pegasus’ — an asterism of the constellation of Andromeda or “the chained maiden” — will take centre stage in the night sky, which is a sign that fall has arrived in the northern hemisphere.
Northeast of it lies the Andromeda, which is the closest large spiral galaxy to the Milky Way.
Under clear skies and with the aid of a star map and familiarity with the surrounding background stars, PAGASA said it can be seen as an elongated misty patch with the naked eye and can be easily viewed through binoculars and telescopes.
The ‘W’ formation of stars — the constellation of Cassiopeia — lies to the left, while the constellation of Pisces can be found at the lower right of Pegasus.
PAGASA also noted that the famous equilateral triangle in the sky, known as the winter triangle rises after midnight.
The triangle formed by the stars is composed of Betelgeuse, the super giant red star and the prominent star of the famous constellation Orion; Sirius, the brightest star in the sky of the constellation canis major; and Procyon, the brightest star of the constellation canis minor.
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