ORIONIDS
Predicted Maximum: October 21 (broad and irregular)
Moon: Waxing Crescent (no interference)
(radiant map from IMO)
WHEN TO WATCH: From about 1:00 am until twilight gets too bright, on any morning from Tuesday, October 20 through Thursday, October 22.
The Orionids are capable of producing interesting activity from October 17-25. Maximum rates seen from a dark site may reach 20-25 per hour, but sometimes there are lulls even around the traditional maximum of October 21. Recently, the shower has been much more exciting. In 2006, rates were much higher than expected for several mornings around the peak. 2007 also saw at least a couple of mornings of enhanced activity. In 2008, it appeared that both October 20 and 21 were slightly enhanced, with rates that would have approached 40 per hour if not for moonlight. We don't know what will happen in 2009, but at least the Moon won't cause any problems.
The Orionids are fast meteors, perhaps a bit faint on average but capable of producing fireballs. The 2006 outburst featured brighter-than-normal Orionids. Note that the radiant is north of Betelgeuse and not right in the middle of Orion. A minor shower called the Epsilon Geminids has a nearby radiant that can cause confusion, but usually produces only 1-2 meteors per hour. Early activity from the Taurids can produce a few nice, slow meteors from radiants farther west. Finally, 5-15 sporadic meteors are usually visible each hour from dark sites.