Community Corner
Orionids Meteor Shower 2012 Begins Oct. 15
Shooting stars will be flying early in the morning in Sammamish and Issaquah, starting this week. The Orionids meteor shower promises to be a show worth watching--if we get a cloud break this week.
The offspring of Halley's Comet are about to put on quite a show in the skies very soon.
Earth will pass through a stream of debris from Halley's Comet beginning Oct. 15, which will give us the benefit of the annual Orionids meteor shower—though you probably won't see much until a bit later.
The best place to view the shower is away from city lights (if the clouds clear up enough to see it). As far as we know, no viewing parties have been organized in the area, but if you plan to host one please add it to the Sammamish-Issaquah calendar.
The shower should be at its peak the night of Saturday, Oct. 20, until just before dawn on Oct. 21. This year, the moon will be setting at approximately midnight, which will keep the sky darkened enough that—barring cloud cover—you should be able to see up to 15 meteors per hour!
Find out what's happening in Sammamish-Issaquahwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
If you plan to watch, check out Earthsky's Top 10 Tips for Meteor Watchers for your maximum viewing pleasure.
Meteor showers get their names from the constellations in the sky where they can be spotted. And what's easier to spot than Orion the Hunter?
The stars tend to shoot from Orion's club, pierce Taurus the Bull, the Gemini twins, Leo the Lion and finally, Canis Major, home of Sirius, the brightest star we can see—well, aside from the sun.
There's also something else that's special about this show: With the second-fastest entry velocity of all the annual meteor showers, meteors from the Orionids produce yellow and green colors and occasionally produce an odd fireball.
Local weather mostly forecasts rain and clouds, but keep an eye out for a break in Sammamish or Issaquah later in the week.