Time Is Now To Catch The Most Beautiful Meteor Shower Of The Year

I've always been fascinated by the night sky. I remember as a kid, my cousins and I would beg our parents to let us sleep out under the stars. Well, usually it was a yes, but we had to spend the night in a musty old Army-issued tent.

But before turning in for the night, we'd stare up at the sky, trying to name the constellations, looking for falling meteors, and hoping we'd see an unidentified flying object. We were sure we saw one once, but it was probably just a faraway airplane.

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To this day, on a warm summer night when I'm at camp out in the Endless Mountains of Pennsylvania where you can actually see the stars in the night sky versus my home's backyard in the city where light drowns out everything, I will sit back in my camp chair and stare out into the night sky, again looking for meteors.

And for those of you who love to do the same, this time of year is perfect to catch a cool meteor shower. According to NASA, one of the most amazing meteor showers of the year, The Orionids, is happening now through November 22nd.

NASA states that the peak time for this meteor shower will be Friday, October 21st. During moonless nights you should see an average of 15 meteors per hour. And they are faster than the craziest drivers on Route 81, traveling around 148,000 miles per hour. Okay, that's really no comparison.

For best viewing, NASA suggests a few things including, the best time to view is after midnight, the darker your surroundings, the better, lie on your back with your feet facing southeast for those of us living in the northeast part of the country, and be patient. The show should last until dawn if you can stay awake that long. Good luck with that.

[via NASA]