While the Orionid meteor shower occurs this year from September 26 to November 22, the best time to observe meteors is Friday night into Saturday morning, with an average of 20 meteors per hour.
Every year, the Orionid meteor shower occurs around this time of year as the Earth moves through a debris field of dust and rocks left behind by Halley’s Comet.
There are numerous factors that influence whether or not you can see the meteors. Light from streetlamps, for example, will make it difficult to observe the meteors speeding across the sky.
Rural, broad fields free of lightning are ideal. The more of the sky you can view, the more likely you are to see meteors.
The most stunning showers are from mountain peaks. Obviously, we don’t have access to mountain tops in the Tampa Bay area, but if you’re travelling and have the opportunity, it’s worth it.
Unfortunately, rooftop bars have far too much lights to be useful for meteor viewing.
Cloud cover can also obscure your view of a meteor shower; if it’s cloudy, you won’t be able to see the streaks of light from the meteor shower.
The meteor shower is best seen after midnight on Friday night till daybreak on Saturday. Because the moon will be 37% lighted, it will not cause too much light pollution and will not conceal the shower.
Cloud cover over Tampa bay will be decreasing after midnight, so the viewing conditions will continue to improve during the peak. Temperatures will be comfortable, in the low 70s to upper 60s.