Shooting stars courtesy of Halley’s Comet An Orionid streaks
through the skies over Summit County, Colorado. Photo by Daniel
McVey. Click on the image to see more of McVey’s
astrophotography. By Summit Voice FRISCO — After its 1986
appearance, many of us will probably not have an other chance to
see Halley’s Comet during its next rendezvous with Earth in
2061, but we can enjoy meteors generated by remnant pieces of
the comet during the Orionid shower, set to peak Saturday night.
For the best view, astronomers say to generally look eastward
after sunset, toward the Orion constellation, which hangs low in
the sky this time of year. The shower often generates 20 to 25
meteors per hour, and sometimes up to 50 or 60. You can also
watch live online at this NASA website. Even though Halley’s
Comet is long gone, the sun continues to melt the comet little
by little, freeing up rock particles that stay on the comet’s
trajectory. When that faint trail of debris brushes through the
Earth’s atmosphere every October, we ge