Video and info via NASAs spaceweather ORIONID METEOR SHOWER: Last night, Oct. 11-12, NASAs All-Sky Meteor Network detected a piece of Halleys Comet disintegrating in the atmosphere over New Mexico. The fireball was bright enough to see through the light of a bright gibbous Moon: Multiple cameras tracked the meteoroid, which allowed a calculation of its trajectory: It hit Earths atmosphere traveling 68 km/s (152,000 mph) and fully disintegrated 67.9 km above Earths surface. This fireball is a sign that the Orionid meteor shower is about to begin. Every year in mid- to late-October, Earth passes through a stream of debris from Halleys Comet, the parent of the Orionids. For many nights in a row, pre-dawn sky watchers can see meteors streaking out of the constellation Orion, near the Hunters shoulder. In 2014, forecasters expect the Orionids to peak on Oct. 21-22 with 20 to 25 meteors per hour. spaceweather/
Posted on: Sun, 12 Oct 2014 20:12:26 +0000