Putting on a space-show: How to spot the Orionid meteor shower

The Orionid meteor shower seen from Yuli County, China in 2023

One of nature's biggest firework displays - the Orionid meteor shower - is back.

It's a yearly event where meteors appear in the night sky, and these ones in particular are known for their brightness and speed.

In 2024 the shower is active from 2 October to 7 November.

Nasa describes the space-show as "one of the most beautiful meteor showers of the year".

Here the meteors can be seen in the sky in California

What is the Orionid meteor shower?

The meteors seem to originate from a point in the constellation of Orion, which is where their name comes from.

The visible trails are clumps of debris left behind by the famous Halley's Comet as it follows its orbit around the sun.

The debris enters our planet’s atmosphere at speeds of around 41 miles per second - now that's fast.

It vaporises, which means something turns from a solid or liquid into a gas, from friction with the air causing the streaks of light we call meteors. These can last in the sky from several seconds to minutes.

The comet is only seen from Earth about once every 75 years - the next time is thought to be around the year 2061, so don't worry, you haven't missed it recently!

When will the Orionid meteor show be visible?

The Orionids are framed by some of the brightest stars in the sky, which provide an 'out of this world' backdrop.

In 2024 the shower will peak on the night of 21-22 October between midnight and dawn.

It should also be on show for several days on either side of this date.

Will you be starry eyed spotting the meteors?

How can you see the Orionid meteor shower?

BBC Weather Presenter Simon King says: "The best way to see a shooting star – or meteor – will be to move away from street lights to an area where it is as dark as possible.

"Give your eyes around 5 to 10 minutes to adjust to the darkness and look up to the night sky. While you may not see anything straight away, you’ll need to be a little patient as eventually you should start to see some shooting stars.

"Of course, you’ll also need some cloud-free skies."

Simon explains that England and Wales will have the clearest skies over the next few nights – although it’ll also be quite chilly.

Scotland and Northern Ireland will tend to be quite cloudy with a bit of rain, but there still might be the occasional break in the cloud.

The weather becomes more unsettled generally across the UK next week, with areas of cloud, rain and strong winds, but there will still be some clearer breaks in the cloud at times.

Happy meteor hunting!