Meteor Shower

Apparently we are having a big meteor shower.  It is, as usual during such events, impossibly overcast here, but maybe there will be a change in the next day or two.  I saw Orion bright in the sky early yesterday morning, and am happy to have now identified Sirius.  Anyone know what that extremely bright star or planet directly to its east is?  That one was impressive, too.

The Orionids

Orionid Main • Observing
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Observing the Orionids

The point from where the Orionid meteors appear to radiate is located within the constellation Orion and is referred to as the radiant. The radiant is located in the northeastern part of that constellation. The following charts will help you find it from both the Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere:

Northern Hemisphere

This represents the view from mid-Northern latitudes at about 1:00 a.m. local time around October 21. The red line across the bottom of the image represents the horizon. (Image produced by the Author using SkyChart III 3.5 and Adobe Photoshop 5.5.)

The radiant rises around 10:30 p.m. local time. At about 3:00 a.m. the radiant is about 50 degrees above the southern horizon.