The National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand (NARIT) has extended an invitation to the public to witness the Orionids meteor shower, which is a remarkable celestial event featuring particles from Halley’s Comet. This cosmic display will occur from the evening of Saturday, October 21, through the early hours of Sunday, October 22.
Anticipated to reach its zenith at approximately 10:30 PM, this meteor shower is expected to offer an exhibition of around 20 meteors per hour, provided the weather is clear across the country. The Orionids meteor shower, also known as the Hunter’s Star Cluster, is an annual occurrence that takes place between October 2 and November 7, with the highest concentration of meteor activity typically observed on the nights of October 21 and 22.
This year, it is predicted to peak with an average of 20 meteors per hour, mainly radiating from the vicinity of the Hunter’s Star Cluster in the east. Observing this spectacle with the naked eye is possible, provided that the skies are cloudless and rain-free throughout the country.
The Orionids meteor shower is the result of Earth passing through the orbital path of Halley’s Comet (1P/Halley), which left behind a significant amount of dust and tiny particles when it approached the Sun in 1986. These particles are drawn into the Earth’s atmosphere by gravity, generating friction that causes them to burn up and appear as streaks of light resembling shooting stars near the Hunter’s Star Cluster. The display showcases stunning yellow and green hues streaking across the night sky.
Halley’s Comet follows an orbit around the Sun and makes its closest approach to Earth every 76 years. Its most recent closest approach to the Sun occurred in February 1986, and calculations indicate that the next time the comet will be nearest to the Sun will be around the middle of 2061, approximately 38 years from now. This brilliant and radiant comet will once again grace our night skies for people around the world to admire.
Information from NARIT’s resources reveals that each time this comet comes close, solar radiation leads to a reduction in its mass, shrinking by 1 to 3 meters with each orbit near Earth. Eventually, when the ice mass has completely evaporated, Halley’s Comet will no longer exhibit the magnificent tail as it has in the past. It will become either a dark rock in space or could disintegrate into dust particles that continue to orbit around the Sun.
Halley’s Comet was named in tribute to Edmond Halley, an English physicist and mathematician who conducted the calculations leading to its discovery.
