Last week, we talked about the benefits of Dark Nature—the process of experiencing night-time phenomena like shooting stars, nocturnal animal sightings, and bioluminescence in order to help reset your body's sleep rhythms and also brag that you saw the coolest thing last night. (Can't figure out any good small talk at the school pickup line? Mention the eclipse you saw in your backyard. Works every time.)
On October 21, 2022, you can experience Dark Nature for yourself with The Orionid Meteor Shower. This annual celestial event features a swarm of meteors—small pieces of space rock that enter Earth's atmosphere and burn up, creating a streak of light—including debris from Halley's Comet.Â
It's called the Orionid Meteor Shower because it appears to brush right up against the constellation Orion, and your best shot at seeing its awe-inspiring action will happen when that cluster of stars is high in the sky.
And if you're an astrology buff, look out: The author Karni Zor says the Orionids are "a very special time for Earth and people to be fertilized by higher and newer things," while astrologist Rachel Lang notes that "comets are made up of ice, dust, and gasses. If we read that symbolically, we might say they represent our frozen emotions and collective fears surfacing for us to see and heal... To the ancients, a comet represented change, like an eclipse."Â
It also represents good news, at least for night owls: Prime views for this meteor shower occur after midnight, so go ahead and have that 5 PM latte you're always craving. You might need it.Â
