2011 Orionid Meteor Shower Photos by Skywatchers

2011 Orionid Meteor Shower: Jeff Berkes

Astrophotographer Jeff Berkes snapped this amazing photo of an Orionid meteor streaking above a lake in Elverson, Pa., on Oct. 22, 2011, during the peak of the annual Orionid meteor shower.

2011 Orionid Meteor Shower: Benjamin Kerr

Skywatcher Benjamin Kerr caught a faint Orionid meteor (bottom right) in this photo he snapped on Oct. 22, 2011 from Uinta National Forest in Utah during the peak of the annual Orionid meteor shower.

2011 Orionid Meteor Shower: Olivier Staiger

Astrophotographer Olivier Staiger snapped this view of a long, bright Orionid meteor from the Crans-Montana region of the Swiss Alps. This image was taken on Oct. 21, 2011, just before the peak of the annual Orionid meteor shower.

2011 Orionid Meteor Shower: Mark Staples

This stunning photo was taken by astrophotographer Mark Staples, a heart surgeon by trade, as an Orionid meteor (center right) blazed over Little Lake Santa Fe in Waldo, Fla. This image was taken on Oct. 22, 2011 during the Orionid peak. The meteor appears just above the red glow of a communications tower.

2011 Orionid Meteor Shower: Mark Staples

This close-up of a photo by amateur astronomer Mark Staples of Waldo, Fla., shows an Orionid meteor on Oct. 22, 2011 as it blazed over Little Lake Santa Fe. The pinkish glow below the meteor are from a communication tower's lights on the ground.

2011 Orionid Meteor Shower: Monika Landy-Gyebnar

Amateur astronomer Monika Landy-Gyebnar snapped this photo of an Orionid meteor (top left) streaking over a field east of her hometown of Veszprem, Hungary on Oct. 22, 2011 during the peak of the annual Orionid meteor shower.

2011 Orionid Meteor Shower: Brian Emfinger

Skywatcher Brian Emfinger snapped this photo of an Orionid meteor before sunrise on Oct. 22, 2011 as the meteor streaked over Ozark, Arkansas during the peak of the Orionids.

2011 Orionid Meteor Shower: Pete Lawrence

Skywatcher Pete Lawrence of Selsey, West Sussex in the United Kingdom snapped this view of an meteor streaking across the sky on Oct. 22, 2011 during the peak of the Orionid meteor shower. A closeup of the meteor is shown at left.

2011 Orionid Meteor Shower: Brian Emfinger

An Orionid meteor streaks across the sky, with the bright three-star belt of the constellation Orion, as well as the Orion nebula (center right) shine in the background. This image was taken before sunrise on Oct. 22, 2011 from Ozark, Ark., during the peak of the 2011 Orionid meteor shower.

2011 Orionid Meteor Shower: Monika Landy-Gyebnar

The faint streak of an Orionid meteor is visible in the top center of this photo snapped by amateur astronomer Monika Landy-Gyebnar from her favorite skywatching spot east of her home in Veszprem, Hungary, on Oct. 22, 2011 during the peak of the annual Orionid meteor shower.

Halley's Comet in 1986

An image of Halley's Comet taken in 1986. Halley's comet is the source of the Orionid and Eta Aquarid meteor showers each year.