Although avid sky watchers have already witnessed signs of the annual display of the Orionids meteor showers, experts say the very best time to view them will be over the weekend. Astronomers state that up to 25 meteors per hour (zenithal hourly rate) may be spotted if they are watched from a dark area.

According to the Griffith Observatory, the brightest meteors should reach their peak between 11 p.m. on Saturday and 5:40 a.m. on Sunday.

"Since 2006, the Orionids have been one of the best showers of the year, with counts in some years up to 60 or more meteors per hour," Bill Cooke of the NASA Meteroid Environment Office explained in a statement.

Just before sunrise on Sunday is considered an optimal time for those hoping to get a glimpse of the meteors. According to Cooke, one should "wake up just a few hours before dawn, go outside and look up."

On Wednesday Oct. 17 at around 7:45 pm. local time, the Orionids meteor showers lit up the skies above the California Bay Area. Hundreds of residents from Oakland, San Francisco and Santa Cruz had reported a loud boom, explosions and streaks of light.

The Orionids are one of two meteor showers that happen due to pieces of Halley's comet. They occur when the earth crashes into the debris trails of longtime comets. When the planet moves through the cosmic trash, small bits of dirt collide with the atmosphere and instantly burn up. Those pieces then appear as bright meteors streaking through the night sky.

Arguably the most notable comet in the earth's history, Halley's Comet usually passes the planet every 75 to 76 years. The last time it was visible to the naked eye was in February of 1986. Eta Aquarids is another shower that peaks every year in early May.

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