AFTER midnight on Thursday, October 22, the annual Orionid meteor shower reaches its peak. If you can stay out for a couple of hours after midnight, looking east, you have a good chance of seeing some very bright and colourful shooting stars streaking away from the constellation of Orion. The best views will be from dark places, away from lights, with a clear view to the east.
Because meteors are so fast moving a telescope is no use for watching them; a meteor shower is best viewed with just the naked eye. But if you have binoculars take them with you, as they will be useful to let you see the ghostly smoke trails the very brightest shooting stars sometimes leave behind.
Stuart Atkinson
Eddington Astronomical Society of Kendal
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here