October 21 will mark the peak of the annual Orionid meteor shower.
The event occurs around this time every year when the Earth passes through an area of space debris left over from the Halley's comet; the shower is expected to produce about 20 meteorites per hour, NASA reported.
"Earth is passing through a stream of debris from Halley's Comet, the source of the Orionids," said Bill Cooke of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office. "Bits of comet dust hitting the atmosphere should give us a couple dozen of meteors per hour."
The best time to check out the Orionid meteor shower will be Tuesday, Oct. 21st when the Earth passes through the densest portion of the debris stream. The event will be visible with the naked eye and the minimal light from the crescent moon will provide optimal viewing conditions.
"There's no year better for the Orionids than this one," Slooh Astronomer Bob Berman told Accuweather.
There is also a chance the meteor shower will produce between 60 and 70 meteors per hour like it did during the annual events between 2006 and 2009.
"The uncertainty of whether we're going to have a super shower this year or not is another reason to really pay attention," Berman said. "We certainly have the great conditions for it, with this new moon."
The news is not as good for those residing in the Northeast, Pacific Northwest, and the northern Rockies to the High Plains of the U.S. due to a storm system that will block the view.
For those who won't be able to see the meteor shower, a live broadcast of the stunning event is available on NASA's UStream here or at SLOOH here.
This year, Slooh will be employing new equipment such as low-light, high-resolution video cameras which will allow them to capture more details of the meteor shower than ever before.
