SAASST News

Monday, 20 November 2023 11:12

The UAEMMN Orionids Meteor Shower Report

The Orionids are one of two meteor showers originating from the debris of comet Halley, which takes 76 years to orbit the Sun. This Meteor shower earned its name because it appears to originate or radiate from the same region of the sky as the constellation Orion.

The Orionids meteor shower duration starts on September 26 until November 22, with an expected peak on October 20th-21st. On the anticipated peak night, the Moon will be in its waxing crescent phase with 30.4% illumination, potentially affecting the clarity of the observations.

The Orionids meteor shower was observed with the three operational observation stations of the UAE Meteor Monitoring Network (UAEMMN) located in Sharjah, Al-Yahar, and Liwa. The number of detected meteors was surprisingly low compared to previous years. The histogram below summarizes the observations conducted between October 19 to October 21. The observed peak occurred on the night of October 19, with 7 recorded total meteors. However, during the nights of the 19th through the 21st, it's worth noting that the Liwa tower did not detect any meteors. We will conduct a more detailed study to outline the cause of the non-detection.