Orionid meteor shower peaks tonight: when to look up from New York City

One of fall's best-known meteor showers peaks tonight, and New Yorkers willing to set an alarm have the best shot at seeing it. The Orionids, made of debris from Halley's comet, were predicted to peak at 2 p.m. ET Wednesday, which puts the best viewing in the overnight hours from Wednesday into Thursday, ABC7 reported, citing EarthSky. Meteors should start to appear after midnight.

When to look

• The moon is the main obstacle. It will be about 74% illuminated on peak night, and the American Meteor Society warns of significant interference while it is above the horizon, though brighter meteors can still show up.
• Best window: the moon sets around 3:12 a.m. Thursday in Manhattan, according to U.S. Naval Observatory data, and the sun rises at 7:15 a.m. The darkest stretch for meteor watching falls between moonset and the first light of dawn.
• What to expect: in a normal year the Orionids produce 10 to 20 meteors an hour at their peak, the AMS says, a count that assumes dark skies. From the city, expect only the brightest. Orionid meteors move fast, about 41 miles per second, and some leave glowing trails or break up into bright fireballs, ABC7 said, citing NASA.

The forecast

The National Weather Service forecasts a partly cloudy night in Central Park with a low around 48 degrees and a north wind of 8 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. That means gaps in the clouds rather than a clear sky, and a chilly wait. Thursday night looks better on paper, mostly clear with a low around 45.

Tips for city sky-watchers

Get as far from streetlights as you can, lie back or use a reclining chair so you can take in as much of the sky as possible, ABC7 advised. The meteors seem to come from the direction of the constellation Orion, but they can appear anywhere in the sky, so scan the whole sky rather than one patch.

If tonight doesn't work out, the shower stays active through Nov. 7, according to the AMS, with lower rates after the peak.