The Orionid Meteor Shower will hit its peak this evening as Earth passes through the wake of Halley's Comet, producing up to 25 spectacular shooting stars every hour.

Each Monday, I pick out North America’s celestial highlights for the week ahead.

As the annual Orionid meteor shower makes its way across our skies, here's everything you need to know about the display and how you can get the best experience out of watching it

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Orionids — one of two annual meteor showers from Halley's comet — peak early Monday. A bright waning moon may make them difficult to spot.The Orionid meteor shower can be unpredictable. It shines like a fireworks display in some years, but is fairly slow in other years.This highly variable shower may result in anywhere from 20 to 60 visible meteors per hour under ideal viewing conditions, said NASA's Bill Cooke.This year’s peak activity happens on a night when a waning moon is 83% full. The shower lasts through November 22.Here’s what to know about the Orionids and other meteor showers.What is a meteor shower?Multiple meteor showers occur annually and you don’t need special equipment to see them.Most meteor showers originate from the debris of comets. The source of the Orionids is Halley’s comet.When rocks from space enter Earth’s atmosphere, the resistance from the air makes them very hot. This causes the air to glow around them and briefly leaves a fiery tail behind them — the end of a…

The Orionid meteor shower is one of the most reliable meteor showers in the annual calendar

The Orionids meteor shower will peak on Monday night into Tuesday with the best viewing conditions between midnight and dawn - if skies are clear.

This event is linked to Halley’s comet, and occurs as another comet, Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, remains visible. But a nearly full moon could interfere with some views.

The Orionid meteor shower is one of the most reliable meteor showers in the annual calendar, visible from across the globe