Orionid Meteor Shower of 2012 in Photos

Orionid Meteor Shower 2012: Auroras by Tommy Eliassen

Photographer Tommy Eliassen captured this spectacular view of an Orionid meteor streaking through the dazzling northern lights and Milky Way from his camp in Korgfjellet, Hemnes, Norway, on Oct. 20, 2012, during the peak of the 2012 Orionid meteor shower.

Orionid Meteor Shower 2012: Marshall Space Flight Center

An Orionid meteor streaks across the night sky over Huntsville, Ala., in this view from a camera at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center before dawn on Oct. 21, 2012, during the peak of the Orionid meteor shower.

Orionid Meteor Shower 2012: Charlie Prince

Photographer Charlie Prince snapped this photo of an Orionid meteor over Edwards, Calif., on Oct. 21, 2012, during the peak of the 2012 Orionid meteor shower. He used a Canon PowerShot S5 IS on a Celestron CG-5GT equatorial mount, with settings at F2.7 ISO 400, 64-second exposure.

Orionid Meteor Shower 2012: Dale Mayotte

Observer Dale Mayotte snapped this photo of a meteor during the peak of the 2012 Orionid meteor shower on Oct. 21, 2012, from Clinton township in Michigan.It was Mayotte's 38th birthday, an "excellent present," he said. He used a Canon Rebel 500D at F8 and 18mm during an 11-second exposure to take the shot.

Orionid Meteor Shower 2012: Marshall Space Flight Center 2

An Orionid meteor streaks across the night sky over Huntsville, Ala., in this view from a camera at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center before dawn on Oct. 21, 2012, during the peak of the Orionid meteor shower.

Orionid Meteor Shower 2012: Kevin Palmer

Stargazer Kevin Palmer of Brighton, Wisc., captured this image of a faint Orionid meteor (center left, above the tree) during the peak of the 2012 Orionid meteor shower on Oct. 21, 2012.

Orionid Meteor Shower 2012: Michael Plishka

Skywatcher Michael Plishka captured this image of an Orionid meteor shower from Lake Villa, Illinois, during the 2012 Orionid meteor shower peak on Oct. 21, 2012.

Fireball Over Belmont, CA

Wes Jones caught the fireball over Belmont, CA, at 7:44 PM PDT, Oct. 17, 2012, using the camera at http://astrobytes.net/AllSky3.html.

2012 Orionid Meteor: NASA

False-color image of a 2012 Orionid meteor, seen over Tullahoma, Tenn.

California Fireball over Aptos

This image of the California fireball was taken on Oct. 17, 2012, by Rachel Fritz and Rick Nolthenius of Cabrillo College, Aptos, CA.

Orionid Meteor Shower 2012 Sky Map

This year’s best viewing will be in the several hours around midnight October 20 and before dawn on October 21, according to the editors of StarDate magazine.