Orionid meteor shower: Best time to look into the night sky to see stunning space event

People have fewer than three weeks to witness an extraordinary which can be seen from the UK.

The wonderful Orionid is one of the most common annual displays in the sky across the globe. It has been active from October 2 and will run until November 7. The stunning display usually peaks between midnight and dawn but there are a few things people need to know to get the best out of the experience.

For several days people should be able to catch a glimpse of the meteor shower, the says. However, there will be some disruption on how visible it is due to the recent Hunter's supermoon which peaked earlier this week. Experts predict the conditions for seeing the shower will be less than ideal.

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This is because, according to the American Meteor Society, the bright moonlight hampers the visibility of the display. They advice it might be better to look for the display from your doorstep rather than searching for a very dark location to see it, .

The Orionids are pieces of Halley's Comet, also known as Comet 1P, which passes the earth only once every 75 to 76 years. It was last seen in 1986 and isn't due to return until 2061, but it does have this annual meteor shower. As the comet follows its path around the sun, it leaves a path of tiny debris. The cometary debris enters our planet’s atmosphere at speeds of around 41 miles per second, vaporising from friction with the air causing the streaks of light we call meteors.

The shower appears every year in late October into November and usually peaks around this time. It's thought this year it will be most visible between October 21 and October 22. Stargazers can usually expect to see up to 20 meteors streaking across the sky every hour at its height.

Spotting the display can be a bit of a challenge, as it can take some time. So it's recommended people wrap up warm and get comedy as you be stood, or sat, outside for a while.

The Royal Museums said: "They can be seen with the naked eye so there's no need for binoculars or a telescope, though you will need to allow your eyes to adjust to the dark. In 2024 the Moon will be waning gibbous, so conditions are not particularly favourable this year. However, the shower lasts for over a month, so if the Moon affects the peak you may still be able to catch a few meteors throughout the shower's duration."

For the best conditions, you want to find a safe location away from street lights and other sources of light pollution. The meteors can be seen in all parts of the sky, so it’s good to be in a wide open space where you can scan the night sky with your eyes. But if you trace the paths that the meteors take, they seem to originate from the constellation of Orion.