“The Orionids is a modest shower, producing around 20 meteors per hour at best under absolutely perfect conditions. In reality, you’ll see far fewer, because your local conditions are variously less than ideal, but Orionid meteors are known for their speed and brilliance, so if you persevere there’s a good chance you’ll see several bright ‘shooting stars’ zipping across the sky.”

“We expect the peak to occur on the night of 21/22 October when the young crescent Moon will set conveniently before the radiant of the shower – the point from which the meteors appear to spread out – rises in the east. If you can brave the cold, make a plan to stay out between midnight and 3am on Sunday morning to give yourself the best chance, and enjoy the thrill of seeing tiny flecks of Halley’s Comet disintegrate at hypersonic speeds above your head.”

“There’s no advantage to using binoculars or a telescope, your eyes are the best tool available for spotting meteors, so relax and gaze up at the sky, and eventually your patience will be rewarded. Meteors can appear anywhere in the sky, though if you have to pick a direction, you might fare slightly better looking east.”