Dubai: Residents across the UAE could witness up to 20 meteors an hour on Wednesday night as the Orionid meteor shower reaches its annual peak, with glowing fragments of Halley's Comet expected to streak across the autumn sky.
The celestial display is expected to peak overnight from Wednesday, October 21, into Thursday, October 22, when Earth passes through a dense trail of dust and debris left behind by the famous comet.
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Ibrahim Al Jarwan, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Emirates Astronomical Society and member of the Arab Union for Astronomy and Space Sciences, said the shower could produce between 10 and 20 visible meteors per hour under ideal conditions, with the best viewing opportunities between midnight and dawn.
The Orionids occur when tiny particles shed by Halley's Comet enter Earth's atmosphere and burn up at altitudes of approximately 80 to 120 kilometres, producing bright streaks of light that typically last only a few seconds.
The meteors are among the fastest associated with an annual shower, travelling at around 66 kilometres per second, according to NASA. Some leave luminous trails that linger briefly after the meteor itself disappears.
However, the display faces a challenge this year: a bright waxing gibbous Moon is expected to outshine many of the fainter meteors for much of the night.
Al Jarwan said viewing conditions should improve once the Moon sets after midnight, leaving a limited period of darker skies before sunrise.
In Dubai, the Moon is expected to set at approximately 2.26am on Thursday, October 22, making the hours immediately afterwards particularly favourable for meteor watching, provided skies remain clear.
The meteors will appear to radiate from a point near the constellation Orion, which rises into prominence in the south-eastern sky during the early hours of Thursday.
Despite their apparent origin near Orion, the shooting stars can appear anywhere across the sky, making a wide, unobstructed view particularly useful.
Al Jarwan advised observers to allow their eyes sufficient time to adjust to the darkness, noting that although some adaptation begins after five to 10 minutes, it generally takes 20 to 30 minutes to develop significantly better night vision.
For the best experience, stargazers should seek locations away from city lights and avoid looking at brightly lit mobile phone screens while observing.
No telescope or binoculars are required to watch the meteor shower, which can be enjoyed with the naked eye.
The Orionids are active from October 2 to November 7 this year, although the greatest concentration of meteors is expected around the peak on October 21 and 22.