Meteor shower in Toronto: Orionid viewing tips

The Orionid meteor shower will peak this week.

dr Jesse Rogerson, an astrophysicist and assistant professor at York University, told CTV News Toronto that the Orionids are one of October’s “bigger” meteor showers.

The Orionids come from a trail of dust particles left behind by Halley’s Comet, which orbits the Sun once every 76 years – “and we’re falling through it.” [the dust trail] every year at the same time.”

This particular meteor shower usually peaks in late October, and this year that’s on Friday, October 21st.

At its peak, there will be about 20 meteors an hour, or “one every five minutes or so,” according to Rogerson.

In comparison, Rogerson says the largest meteor showers bring about 60 to 100 meteors per hour, which is about one per minute. The Perseids, which can be seen in August, have about 120 meteors per hour.

HOW CAN I SEE THE TORONTO METEOR SHOWER?

“So from a greater Toronto area perspective, the best view is when the constellation of Orion is high in the sky, and that doesn’t happen until 2 or 3 a.m.,” Rogerson said.

Since the summit lasts about 12 hours, stargazers can still see the meteors hurtling through the night — as long as the sky is clear.

Toronto weather forecast for Friday night is calling for clear skies and a low temperature of 11C, according to Environment Canada.

Those planning to see the Orionids will also need to give their eyes some time to get used to the night sky.

“It takes your eyes about 15 or 20 minutes to get used to the darkness before they can really see the faint streaks of light,” Rogerson said.

DO I NEED BINOCULARS OR A TELESCOPE?

“No,” Rogerson said. “I find that actually hinders the experience.”

Because it’s hard to say exactly where the meteors will shoot, Rogerson says using a telescope or binoculars will limit your view and you’ll likely miss most of them.

“What you want to do is be that big [of] a view of the sky as possible, like sitting back in a chair or leaning back on the floor and just looking up and letting your eyes wait for that thing to move through the sky,” he said.

WHERE CAN I SEE IT?

Since the GTA is “just a big giant bubble of light,” Rogerson recommends getting out of town to see the Orionids.

“The further you get out of the bubble of light, the better,” he said, adding that 20 to 30 minutes outside of town is a good place to start.

Those trying to stay within the city limits will be at a disadvantage.

“If you do it in the middle of the light bubble, you might only catch five or six of them because you only really see the bright ones,” Rogerson said.

Stargazers wanting to road trip a few hours outside of Toronto can head to one of the dark sky reserves at either Torrance Barrens Dark-Sky Preserve, Bruce Peninsula and Point Pelee National Parks, or Fathom Five National Province make Marine Park.