Sri Lankans will be able to witness a Meteor Shower (උල්කාපාත වැස්ස) between October 22 night and October 23 morning.
(Night 10.30pm between 22 October and 5.30am 23 October)
Prof Chandana Jayaratne in the Physical Sciences Division at Colombo University, said that this a rare occurrence. Professor Jayaratne said the Sri Lankans will be able to witness the meteor shower during the night. The professor further said the meteor shower can be seen with the naked eye.
In 2017, the Orionid meteor shower will be visible from October 2 to November 7. The shower is expected to peak on the night of October 20 and early morning of October 23.
When Can I See the Orionids?
Orionids tend to be active every year in the month of October, usually peaking around October 20-23. At its peak, up to 20 meteors are visible every hour.
The best time to view the Orionids is just after midnight and right before dawn.
Dust From Halley's Comet
The Orionid meteor shower is 1 of 2 meteor showers created by debris from Comet Halley. The Eta Aquarids in May is the second meteor shower created by debris left by Comet Halley.
Halley takes around 76 years to make a complete revolution around the Sun. It will next be visible from Earth in 2061.
Where Can I See the Orionids?
It's called Orionids because the meteors seem to emerge or radiate from the constellation Orion.
A First Quarter Moon will make this meteor shower easy to see in both the Northern and Southern Hemisphere. While you can easily see a shooting star looking straight up, the table below shows the exact direction of the Orionids from your location.
Location in the Sky Tonight
NOTE: The table below changes every day to show the coming night's location
Orionids meteor shower for Colombo (Night 10.30pm between 22 October and 5.30am 23 October)
Time Azimuth/Direction Altitude
Sun 22:30 74°East-northeast 2.3°
Sun 23:30 76°East-northeast 16.5°
Mon 00:30 76°East-northeast 30.9°
Mon 01:30 75°East-northeast 45.3°
Mon 02:30 71°East-northeast 59.5°
Mon 03:30 57°East-northeast 73.0°
Mon 04:30 359°North 81.2°
Mon 05:30 302°West-northwest 72.7°
More Info - Click
www.lankauniversity-news.com