Ground Report

National Geographic reports that the Orionids Meteor Shower began Friday and viewing will be at its peak Wednesday night. Remnants from the 1986 Halley’s comet will be more visible because it is a new moon, making a darker sky.

“At this time of year, Orion rises at about 11 p.m. local time worldwide, so the best time to view the Orionids will be after midnight,” the article reports.

Onlookers can see the meteors without binoculars and Twitterers worldwide are on the lookout.

1. KansasStargazer (Kansas) Wed, early morning: Peak of the Orionid Meteor Shower. Start watching tonight. Meteors will appear to come from the constellation Orion. 19 Oct 2009 from web
2. Ginger_Kunita (Japan) Going to the beach in front of my house to see the orionid meteor shower. 19 Oct 2009 from Echofon
3. signalhill (Undisclosed) orionid meteor showers, just after midnight, next five days. look for the constellation orion and make a wish 19 Oct 2009 from Twitterrific
4. Cool_DJ_ICE (Sharon, Pennsylvania) Heads UP Literally! Strong Meteor Shower Peaks this Wed! The Orionid meteor shower, 1 of the biggest & brightest of year! http://redir.ec/44 17 Oct 2009 from UberTwitter
5. Boscastle_Dee (Boscastle, Cornwall, U.K.) Looking Fwd 2 seeing some of the Orionid Meteor Shower 17th-25th Oct. Peak: overnight 20/21st radiating from constellation of Hunter Orion. 16 Oct 2009 from web
   
   

This meteor shower comes after a meteor exploded over the Netherlands and Germany on Oct. 13. Amateur photographer Robert Mikaelyan was in the right place at the right time to capture several images of the meteor.  This photo was taken in the Groningen, a northern Netherlands city.