The annual Orionid meteor shower is reaching its peak this week, offering a chance to witness fragments of Halley's comet streaking across the night sky. The Orionids occur every October as Earth passes through a stream of dust left behind by the famous comet.
These tiny particles enter Earth's atmosphere at approximately 66 kilometres per second, heating the surrounding air and creating the fleeting streaks of light known as meteors.
The shower is expected to peak during the night of 21–22 October. While a bright waxing gibbous Moon may obscure fainter meteors, conditions are anticipated to improve in the early morning hours after the Moon sets around 03:00 BST.