Orionid Meteor Shower Will Peak Over Maine Tonight [10-21-2020]

Of course there is a chance you may not get to see anything tonight because the weather in Maine is never super-predictable. But, here's what we can forecast for the overnight hours for Wednesday into Thursday. As the evening progresses into nighttime, mostly cloudy skies will give way to partly cloudy skies and eventually clear by morning. Will the clouds break enough and in time to see the meteor shower tonight? Nobody really knows for sure, though we can certainly hope.

If you're looking to make an attempt at seeing this shower you'll want to go outside after dark and look up. I mean, that seems like pretty sound advice on how to see a meteor shower doesn't it? I'm pretty much Bill Nye, I know.

According to EarthSky.org, the very best time to try and get out and take a peak are in the very early morning hours. So maybe instead of going out tonight, set an alarm and get up extra early tomorrow. That may also give the clouds more time to dissolve out of our sky. Additionally they say you should allow at least 20 minutes once you're outside for your eyes to fully adjust to the dark lighting.

If you're lucky you may be able to see 10-15 meteors an hour. The meteors will actually be chunks of rock and ice that have broken off from the famous Halley's Comet that cruises around our solar system and becomes visible to us on earth every 76 years or so. Some of these space chunks will be travelling at speeds of up to 148,000 miles per hour, too. Whoa!

If you happen to go out for a gander, make sure you try to snag a photo or video of your experience and send it over to us through the 92 Moose App. We'd love to share your images with the rest of Moose Nation.

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