Meteor shower over Norfolk october 2018

The shower peaks on October 21, but the meteors may be visible as early as today after midnight.

This week's clear skies are providing a rare opportunity for early-morning views of the Orionid meteor shower, one of the brightest and most lovely of the year. In fact, its shooting stars move at speeds close to 148,000 miles per hour!

The Orionids meteor shower is one of the most reliable and visible showers of the year, along with the Perseids which occurred in August this year.

The Orionid meteor shower is set to peak this weekend from October 21-22, but a vibrant moon may get in the way of some of the fainter meteors during the cosmic event. As it makes its way around the sun, it leaves a trail of gas and dust behind it, which can be seen when the debris crosses between the Earth's orbit and the sun.

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The meteors are bits of space rock that have entered the earth's atmosphere. With that being said, more meteors are produced at its peak, when 15 - 20 of the dazzling stars will appear in the sky.

This year the moon will be almost full, which will diminish some of the meteors.

Stargazers should opt to travel as far away from city lights as possible in order to avoid light pollution that will obscure the clarity of heavenly bodies.