The Orionids are a meteor shower that occurs throughout October into early November. At its peak around October 21, as many as 20 meteors per hour can be seen appearing to originate from the radiant located in the constellation Orion near its border with Gemini. Leonid Meteor Shower // A meteor shower, also known as a meteor storm, is a celestial event where a large number of meteors are seen within a very short period of time. ... Photo of a burst of meteors with extended exposure time A meteor is the visible path of a meteoroid that enters the Earths (or another bodys) atmosphere, commonly called a shooting star or falling star. ... The radiant or apparent radiant of a meteor shower is the point in the sky that (to a planetary observer) meteors appear to originate from. ... Orion, a constellation often referred to as The Hunter, is a prominent constellation, perhaps the best-known and most conspicuous in the sky. ... Gemini (IPA: , Latin: , symbol , ) is one of the constellations of the zodiac. ...
The parent body of the Orionids is the famous Halley's Comet. Comet Halley, officially designated 1P/Halley, more generally known as Halleys Comet after Edmond Halley, is a comet that can be seen every 75-76 years. ...
The Orionidmeteor shower is the second of two showers that occur each year as a result of Earth passing through dust released by Halley's Comet, with the first being the Eta Aquarids.
The Orionids were frequently observed during the latter years of the 19th century and became the focus of debate during the first quarter of the 20th century.
During the next 30 years observers became aware that the activity of the Orionids was not consistent, with estimates ranging from a low of 7 in 1900 to a high of 35 in 1922.