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Early Orionid and aurora

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October 17, 2013

View larger. | Tommy Eliassen Photography in Lovund, Nordland, Norway captured this photo. Visit Tommy Eliassen Photography on Facebook.

Like all major meteor showers, the Orionid meteor shower has a peak, when you might expect to see the greatest number of meteors. In 2013, the Orionids are expected to peak on the morning of October 21, but a bright moon will interfere with the shower.

The shower also runs for weeks on either side of the peak. Earth is crossing the stream of cometary debris in space that makes the Orionid meteor shower from about October 2 to about November 7 each year. Tommy Eliassen Photography in Norway caught this Orionid meteor on the morning of October 14, 2013, against a backdrop of the aurora borealis, or northern lights.

Thank you, Tommy!

Everything you need to know: Orionid meteor shower

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October 17, 2013

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Deborah Byrd

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Deborah Byrd (asteroid 3505 Byrd) helps edit EarthSky.org and is a frequent host of EarthSky videos. Deborah created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Prior to that, she had worked for the University of Texas McDonald Observatory since 1976, and created and produced their Star Date radio series. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named in her honor in 1990, a Public Service Award from the National Science Board in 2003, and the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society in 2020. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.