Skygazers will want to look up to the nightsky as a meteor shower is expected to pass Earth.
Debris left by Halley’s Comet will make up a meteor shower that is expected to peak on Friday night, October 21. The Orionid meteor is active throughout October, producing up to 25 meteors every hour, and remaining visible until the early hours of Saturday.
The phenomenon gets its name from the Orion constellation – which is one of the brightest groups of stars in the sky.
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Jake Foster, a public astronomy officer at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, told the PA news agency: “One of the things that makes this meteor shower extra special for some is that each meteor is a tiny piece of Halley’s Comet.”
Meteoroids from Halley’s Comet strike the Earth’s atmosphere at a speed of 148,000 mph, burning up in streaking flashes of light. As PA news agency reports, Halley's Comet and Earth have elliptical orbits around the sun and they intersect twice a year with the Orionids and the Eta Aquariid meteor shower taking place in May.
Friday night will be the best time to spot the shower but experts add that the Orionids will be visible in both northern and southern hemispheres until November 7.
Mr Foster told PA: “This year the Orionids will peak on the night of October 21 between midnight and dawn, with a maximum of 25 shooting stars per hour.
“The shower will be emanating from the constellation of Orion, which will rise from the south-eastern horizon shortly before midnight.”
Skygazers are advised to get as far away from all artificial lights as possible and allow some time for eyes to adjust to the dark.
Mr Foster told PA: “You won’t need any kind of specialist viewing equipment to see the meteor shower, just clear skies and warm clothes.”
The last shower spotted in Edinburgh was back in September when residents reported seeing a fireball with blue and green light shooting across the sky on Wednesday 15.
Speaking to Edinburgh Live, one local resident said: "It was visible in the west and was glowing greenish blue, with a trail, thought it was a rocket but it was going in a slow trajectory downwards. Lasted about five seconds before it fizzled out. I have seen meteorites before but this was very large."
Experts later confirmed it was a 'small part of an asteroid'.
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