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How To Catch The Orionid Meteor Shower This Weekend
Photo by mlanda7419 via the LAist Featured Photos pool
The annual Orionid meteor shower has returned, and this weekend might be your best shot at catching a glimpse of the falling stars.
The best time to see the meteors will be between 11 pm on Saturday and 5:40 am on Sunday. As with most astronomical events, it's best to get out of town and away from the light pollution, the Griffith Observatory says. Joshua Tree National Park or Los Padres National Forest are popular nearby wilderness areas. Depending on where you are, tou might be able to see up to 25 meteors in an hour.
If you need help figuring out just how far you have to go to get away from the bright lights, here's a guide. During the Perseid Shower, one of our readers suggested the Dark Sky app from the iTunes store. KPCC also has a map for relatively dark places—plus, tips for taking pictures of the shower—if you can't stray far.
The annual October show is named the Orionid meteor shower, because it looks like the meteors are coming from the constellation Orion. The meteors pass through a trail of dust left by Halley's Comet, which comes around every 75 years, NASA says.
The Griffith Observatory will be holding a public star party Saturday from 2 pm until 9:45 pm.
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