Halley’s Comet takes around 76 years to make a complete revolution around the Sun. It will next be visible from Earth in 2061. The comet last passed through our Solar System in 1986, when the Sun softened some of the ice, allowing rock particles to break away from the comet. These particles continued along the comet’s trajectory and appear as meteors (“falling stars”) when the Earth passes through the debris field. One meteor shower created by the debris left by Halley’s Comet and active every year is the Orionids, visible October 2 – November 7.
Orionids are named after Orion, because these meteors seem to radiate from the same area in the sky as that constellation.
It is one of the most spectacular meteor showers known for its brightness and for the speed of the meteors. According to NASA they enter the Earth’s atmosphere at 148,000 miles per hour or 41 miles per second. Meteors that fast leave glowing trails in their wake. They often become fireballs as they are vaporized in the atmosphere meaning the Orionids are marked by bright prolonged explosions.
Search here for the peak sky-watching dates and times.