When was comet halley last seen

A lawn chair or deckchair is perfect for watching meteor showers, though the best advice is always to wrap up warm and let you eyes adjust to the dark and just watch the night sky in this case, look generally southeast towards Orion. Whatever you do don't stop looking, and absolutely do not look at your smartphone. Its white light will instantly kill your night vision. Visible from both hemispheres, the Orionids—and any moonless meteor shower—is best enjoyed under a dark country sky.

If that's not going to be possible, make sure there are no artificial lights in your line of sight, and even better, find a place in shadow from any artificial lights.

Photo by: VW About 40km from a town is where to go. Here are some great resources to help you find a dark sky near you:. Every 75 years a 15x8km comet enters the inner solar system and becomes visible to the naked eye from Earth.

The only known short-period comet that can be seen twice in one lifetime if observed when very young , its arrival was first predicted by British astronomer Edmond Halley, who calculated that it would appear in It duly did, though 16 years after his death.

Fast meteors tend to leave glowing dust "trains" behind them, producing magnificent "shooting stars. Under normal conditions, the annual meteor shower typically produces about 30 meteors per hour. It's named for its radiant, or direction of origin, which appears to come from the constellation Aquarius. The Eta Aquarids are one of the best meteor showers of the year for people in the Southern Hemisphere, because Aquarius is higher in the sky there — but it's visible in the northern hemisphere, too.

The shower is visible in both hemispheres, with the best viewing occurring just before dawn on Wednesday. Locating the radiant point is not necessary for viewing — all you need to do is look up. Viewing in the southern hemisphere is preferable, but not necessary.

From the northern hemisphere, the shooting stars often appear as "earth grazers": Long meteors that appear to skim the surface of the Earth near the horizon. Nov 11, , pm EST. Nov 11, , am EST. Nov 10, , pm EST. Nov 9, , pm EST. Nov 9, , am EST. Edit Story. Feb 9, , pm EST. I inspire people to go stargazing, watch the Moon, enjoy the night sky.