Shards of Halley’s Comet to Streak Above the Skies of New York State

This is a great time of year for skywatchers and astronomy types. The month of October will bring not one, but two annual meteor showers to the night skies. The second of which is made up of the remains of history's most famous comet, which has already begun its long journey back towards Earth.

It was previously reported that the Draconids meteor shower will peak October 7 and 8. This is not one of the year's better showers, though Earth Sky says there have been random years that spectacular meteor storms end up producing hundreds to thousands of meteors an hour.

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The meteor showers come in addition to the newly discovered Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS), or simply Comet 23, which will be visible above the horizon.

Shards and Debris From Halley's Comet to Streak Above the Skies of New York State 

Gothamist is reporting that Orionids meteor shower began at the end of September and will continue until November. 22. However, the event will peak October 21, according to astronomers.

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The Orionids are the leftovers and remains from Halley’s Comet (1P/Halley), which orbits the Sun every 76 years, The Orionids occur when the Earth moves through the path of dust and debris that were expelled from the comet’s nucleus, says Earth Sky. 

Make sure to look closely, as the meteors move very fast, though they also leave a long-lasting tail once they've completely burnt up in the Earth's atmosphere. NASA calls the Orionids "one of the most beautiful showers of the year".

Halley's Comet Gives Us Two Meteor Showers 

Earth Sky reports that Halley's Comet actually produces two meteor showers a year. The Orionids are produced every late October from Halley’s debris on its "inbound leg".But everyone in New York and worldwide also gets to enjoy another show, going the opposite direction in early May. That event was is known as the Eta Aquariids meteor shower.

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