Orionid Meteor Shower Light Up the Night Sky

The meteors should've be visible to the naked eye, too, though light pollution may make them harder to see

A cosmic fireworks show lit up the sky Friday night as the Earth passed through a field of meteoroids.

The Orionid meteor shower was caused by Earth's orbit through a debris field left by Halley's Comet, and it peaked Friday and into Saturday.

Friday was a moonless night, too, according to NASA, meaning that — barring cloud cover — up to 10 to 15 meteors per hour were visible before dawn.

The meteors should've be visible to the naked eye, too, though light pollution may make them harder to see.

People in the Northeast were treated to an appetizer Wednesday when a fireball flew across the sky Wednesday, visible from Delaware and Pennsylvania to New Hampshire, according to the American Meteor Society. The bright flash of light, caused by a meteor, was sighted by about 200 people.

The American Meteor Society gives the peak of Orionid activity as Sunday — noting that it's hard to predict meteor activity precisely.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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