Light Show! The Science Behind The Orionid Meteor Shower

Short Wave

NPR

Daily News, Nature, Life Sciences, Astronomy, Science, News

4.7 • 6K Ratings

🗓️ 20 October 2023

⏱️ 11 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

We're about to hit peak Orionid meteor shower! According to NASA, it's one of the most beautiful showers of the year. The Orionids are known for their brightness and speed — they streak through the sky at 66 km/s! And today, we learn all about them — where they come from, what makes a meteor a meteor and how to get the best view of them this weekend.

Have a cosmic question? Email us at [email protected].

Transcript

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0:00.0	This message comes from an PR sponsor, ServiceNow.
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0:19.6	You're listening to Shortwave from NPR.
0:24.6	Hey there Shortwaveers, Aaron Scott here.
0:26.8	With me, Regina Barber.
0:28.3	And also one of our most beloved colleagues, Elsa Chang.
0:34.8	So Elsa, we brought you on to share some science joy.
0:38.4	We're seeing in the headlines and the journals that we are really into.
0:41.5	Always happy to pretend I actually know something about science.
0:44.8	Oh, I'm sure you do.
0:46.2	You're learning each time you come on and I'm sure you know stuff.
0:49.2	Well, I love chatting science with both of you.
0:51.1	And I hear that this time we're talking about how albatrosses you sound to navigate.
0:56.6	Yep. And a rare glimpse of how two animals interacted with each other on the ocean floor
1:01.8	480 million years ago.
1:04.1	Wow.
1:04.5	Plus the best way to watch the Orionid meteor shower this weekend.
1:08.8	The obvious answer for that is with wine, right?
1:13.3	I'm not given anything away.
	...

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