Orionid meteor shower to peak over Qatar this week

The Qatari Calendar House announced that the inhabitants of the northern hemisphere, including the residents of the State of Qatar, will be on a date with the sighting and monitoring of this year's meteor shower, as it will reach its peak in the evening after tomorrow, Wednesday, 10 Jumada Al-Awwal 1448 AH, corresponding to October 21, 2026, and will extend until the dawn of Thursday, October 22, 2026.

Dr. Bashir Marzouq, an astronomer at Qatar Calendar House, said: "Oramy meteors are one of the important astronomical phenomena, as they are active annually during the period from October 2 to November 2, but they reach their peak on October 21 of each year, in addition to the meteor shower is one of the distinctive meteor showers, as the rate of their fall when they reach their peak will be about 30 meteors per hour, according to the estimate of astronomers specialized in meteor observation."

Marzouq added: "What distinguishes meteor showers is that they only need a place away from environmental and light pollution, so the residents of the State of Qatar will be able to monitor and see the meteor shower without the need for astronomical devices or telescopes, as they can see and observe it with the naked eye towards the eastern horizon of the sky of the State of Qatar from midnight until dawn on Thursday, and modern digital cameras can be used to obtain images of the meteor shower of the Orionates, taking into account the increase in exposure time During the shoot to get special images."

It is noteworthy that the reason for the name "Orion Meteors" is that they appear to the observer near the famous star constellation known as the Orion constellation.

It is worth mentioning that the famous "Halley" comet is the source of the occurrence of the Orion meteor shower, when the Earth moves in its orbit around the sun and passes near the dust grains left by the comet (Halley) during the month of October every year, and these grains intersect with the Earth's atmosphere, and create a flash that is seen in the sky of the earth in the form of fireworks, knowing that the phenomenon of meteors in general occurs as a result of the passage of the Earth near the fine debris and dust grains left by the comet particles.

It should be kept in mind that the best places to see the Orion Meteors are the darkest places, which are places far from residential areas that contain light and environmental pollutants that may hinder the sight of the meteors, while the best times to see the Orion Meteors are before midnight until the dawn of the next day.

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