Don't miss the Orionid meteor shower peak begin overnight tonight under a moonless sky

猎户座流星雨迎峰值，无月夜勿失良机！

Get ready stargazers! The Orionid meteor shower peak begins tonight, welcoming a spectacular natural light show that could see a flurry of shooting stars spawned by Halley's Comet brighten the dark, moonless sky.

观星爱好者们，准备好了！猎户座流星雨将于今晚迎来峰值，一场壮观的自然光影秀即将上演。届时，在黑暗无月的夜空中，哈雷彗星带来的一连串流星将点亮夜幕。

The 2025 Orionid meteor shower peak begins overnight on Oct. 20-21, when 10-20 shooting stars may be visible streaking across the night sky from a point of origin known as a "radiant", located close to the red star Betelgeuse in the constellation Orion.

2025年猎户座流星雨高峰期将于10月20日至21日夜间开始。届时，可能观测到10至20颗流星，它们仿佛从猎户座的红巨星参宿四附近的一个“辐射点”射出，划破夜空。

While tonight is the peak, Orionid shooting stars can be seen from Oct. 2 to Nov. 7 as Earth passes through the debris trail shed by comet 1P/Halley. During that time, particles cast off from that ancient body collide with our planet at speeds of up to 41 miles per second (66 kilometers per second), burning up in a magnificent display as they're overwhelmed by the friction of atmospheric entry.

虽然今晚是极大期，但在10月2日至11月7日期间，当地球穿过1P/哈雷彗星留下的碎片带时，都有机会观测到猎户座流星。在此期间，从这颗古老彗星上脱落的颗粒物会以高达每秒41英里（每秒66公里）的速度闯入地球大气层，因摩擦而剧烈燃烧，上演一场壮丽的光影秀。

One of the best times to spot Orionid meteors will be in the pre-dawn hours of Oct. 21, when the constellation Orion will be positioned high above the southern horizon in a moonless sky for viewers in the U.S. The shower peaks around the monthly new moon phase, meaning that there'll be no natural light pollution to ruin the cosmic show.

观测猎户座流星的最佳时段之一是10月21日黎明前几小时。届时，对于美国观测者而言，猎户座高悬于南方的地平线之上，且夜空无月。由于流星雨极大期恰逢新月，月光不会造成任何光污染，确保了这场宇宙盛宴的完美呈现。

First, locate the red star Betelgeuse using a smartphone astronomy app. Then, pick a patch of sky 40 degrees away in the direction of your local zenith, which is the point directly above your head. Remember, the width of your outstretched fist accounts for roughly 10 degrees in the night sky! Here, the meteor trails will be at their longest.

首先，使用智能手机上的天文应用定位到红星参宿四。接着，朝着你头顶上正上方的天顶方向移动约40度（约四个拳头宽）。记住，你伸直手臂后一拳的宽度，在夜空中大约对应10度！在这个区域内，观察到的流星轨迹将会是最长的。

Be sure to allow 20-30 minutes for your eyes to adapt to the dark, and use a red light if needed in order to avoid ruining your night vision. Don't forget, we're in astronomical autumn now, so be sure to wrap up warm and to let someone know where you're observing from if you head to a remote dark sky location.

记得给眼睛20-30分钟来适应黑暗，如需照明，请使用红光手电，以免损害您的夜视能力。请记住，现已入秋，若您前往偏远的暗夜地区进行观测，务必注意保暖，并告知他人您的具体位置。

Robert Lunsford of the American Meteor Society notes that there will still be plenty of meteor activity after the peak starts, so there's no need to worry if clouds appear to ruin the show that first early morning show! "The Orionids will peak in the period of October 21-23," Lunsford told Space.com in an email. "Rates will fall very slowly after these dates so the mornings of October 24-26 will still provide hourly rates in excess of 10 per hour when viewing from rural dark skies. Note by then the radiant will have moved eastward into western Gemini so folks should not be surprised to see these meteors shooting from that constellation instead of Orion".

美国流星协会的罗伯特·伦斯福德指出，高峰开始后仍然会有大量的流星活动，所以无需担心云层是否会破坏首日凌晨的观测。伦斯福德在发给Space.com的邮件中表示：“猎户座流星雨将在10月21日至23日期间达到极大，此后的流量会缓慢下降，因此10月24日至26日的早晨，在农村暗夜的环境下进行观测，每小时仍能观测到超过10颗流星。请注意，届时辐射点已东移至双子座西部，所以人们会看到流星仿佛从双子座而非猎户座射出猎户座射出，这并不奇怪。”

The Orionids aren't the only meteor shower active over the coming weeks. Both the Northern Taurid and Southern Taurid meteor streams are currently active, which could give rise to spectacular fireball events in the period leading up to their separate peaks in early November.

未来几周，活跃的不仅是猎户座流星雨。目前，北金牛座和南金牛座流星雨也已进入活跃期，有望在11月初各自迎来峰值之前，为我们带来壮丽的火球景观。

Editor's Note: If you would like to share your astrophotography with Space.com's readers, then please send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.

编者按：如果您想与Space.com的读者分享您的天文摄影作品，请将您的照片、评论、署名以及所在位置发送至spacephotos@space.com。