The Orionid meteor shower is the second one stargazers can look forward to in October. The more dramatic Draconid meteor shower blazed its way across the night sky in early October but for those who missed the Draconids, the Orionids offer a more reliable viewing that is no less spectacular.

The Orionids are particularly popular because they are result of dust left behind by the famous Halley's Comet. Meteor showers occur when the Earth passes through the icy debris the comet sheds as it orbits the Sun. The meteors appear to fall through the sky in an impressive cosmic event.

Stargazers can expect to see the Orionids lighting up the night sky starting on Thursday, but the shower will peak around 5 p.m. on Friday. For the best chance at seeing the Orionids in their full glory, observers should wake up before dawn Friday and Saturday.

The Orionids will usually have 20 to 25 meteors per hour but unfortunately observers will not get to see the maximum expected number this year. A waning crescent moon Thursday and Friday mornings will interfere with the meteor shower and fainter meteors will be harder to detect in the night sky. On Friday, there will be a brief window of opportunity between midnight and moonrise during the Orionids peak where there will be no moonlight to interfere.

Australian stargazers can observe the Orionids but it depends on the observer's location. The closer to the horizon the observer is the lower the number of visible meteors can be observed. Other factors also weigh on the maximum meteor viewing experience including fog, cloud and city lights. For Sydney city dwellers the best time to see the Orionids is on Saturday just before moonrise at 2.39 a.m.

For the best viewing results, dedicated observers should try heading out to the countryside and finding a clear, dark sky. The Orionids will come from the direction of the constellation Orion. The meteors can be observed by the naked eye.