BALTIMORE — The Orionid meteor shower peaks this weekend. That means Marylander's have a good chance at seeing a shooting star!
Look southeast after midnight Friday night and Saturday night to catch an awesome celestial event. As Earth spins around the sun it plows through the debris field left over by Halley's comet. That space rock and ice is ignited by our atmosphere and leaves fleeting streaks in the sky. This meteor shower gets its name from the constellation Orion, which it radiates out from.
Here are a few tips to increase your chances of seeing a meteor:
Get away from light pollution. The darker the sky, the brighter the meteor. Below is a light pollution map for our area.
Let your eyes adjust to the dark. Shut off all lights and avoid looking at your cell phone. This will dilate your pupil to take in more light.
Pick a day with the least amount of clouds. For us, that will be very early Sunday morning (just after midnight) before clouds and a quick hit of rain comes in. We won't be completely cloud free, but you could catch a meteor in between clouds. It will be chilly with temps in the 40s, so layer up!
Good luck if you are headed out!
