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Discover Nature: Orionid Meteor Shower Peaks

Stars twinkle on a deep navy-blue night sky as the moon sinks below the horizon behind silhouetted trees in a wetland area.
Watch for “shooting stars,” especially in the southern sky, as meteors break off from Halley’s Comet and vaporize in Earth’s atmosphere. These meteors will appear to emanate from the constellation, Orion, and will peak this week.";s:3:"u

This week on Discover Nature, keep an eye to the sky after midnight and in the predawn hours, as the annual Orionid meteor shower peaks.

  

 

In autumn each year, just as hunters are taking to the woods and fields here on Earth, a hunter in the sky puts on a show of his own. 

 

The constellation, Orion – known for the three stars in his belt, and his bow-and-arrow aimed to the south – rises in the southeastern sky in late evening. “Shooting stars,” or meteors – sometimes as many as 10-15 per hour – will appear to emit from Orion’s celestial position. 

 

These meteors are actually vaporizing bits of debris from Halley’s Comet, and appear to emanate from Orion’s club – the northern-most part of the constellation. 

 

Orion’s distinctive belt always points southward to Sirius – the brightest star in the sky. 

 

Find a dark spot to sit on a clear night this week, and watch the “stardust” sizzle across the sky. 

 

Discover Nature is sponsored by the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Kyle Felling’s work at KBIA spans more than three decades. In 2025, he became KBIA and KMUC's Station Manager. He began volunteering at the station while he was a Political Science student at the University of Missouri. After being hired as a full-time announcer, he served as the long-time local host of NPR’s All Things Considered on KBIA, and was Music Director for a number of years. Starting in 2010, Kyle became KBIA’s Program Director, overseeing on-air programming and operations while training and supervising the station’s on-air staff. During that period, KBIA regularly ranked among the top stations in the Columbia market, and among the most listened to stations in the country. He was instrumental in the launch of KBIA’s sister station, Classical 90.5 FM in 2015, and helped to build it into a strong community resource for classical music. Kyle has also worked as an instructor in the MU School of Journalism, training the next generation of journalists and strategic communicators. In his spare time, he enjoys playing competitive pinball, reading comic books and Joan Didion, watching the Kansas City Chiefs, and listening to Bruce Springsteen and the legendary E Street Band.
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