Orionids Meteor Shower 2012 Reaches Peak Tonight

It's time to start looking to the stars. 

Since Oct. 15, earth has been passing through a stream of debris from Halley's Comet for the annual Orionids meteor shower.

The shower should be at its peak tonight until just before dawn on Sunday, Oct. 21. This year, the moon will be setting at approximately midnight, which will keep the sky darkened enough that — barring cloud cover — you should be able to see up to 15 meteors per hour.

Tonight's forecast is partly cloudy with a low of 42 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.

Here is some information on the meteor shower:

Meteor showers get their names from the constellations in the sky where they can be spotted. And what's easier to spot than Orion the Hunter?

The stars tend to shoot from Orion's club, pierce Taurus the Bull, the Gemini twins, Leo the Lion and finally, Canis Major, home of Sirius, the brightest star we can see — well, aside from the sun.

Something else that's special about this show: With the second-fastest entry velocity of all the annual meteor showers, meteors from the Orionids produce yellow and green colors and occasionally produce an odd fireball.

Obviously, you'll have more luck catching the shooting stars if you're in a place not polluted by light.

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