Meteor shower visible starting Sunday if...

Unless clouds block their view, stargazers may be in for a treat starting Sunday as the Orionids meteor shower will be active for more than one week. But the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said the bright full moon may also interfere with the view. "The nearly bright Full Moon interferes with this shower display," PAGASA officer-in-charge Graciano Yumul Jr. said. On the other hand, typhoon Juan, which entered Philippine territory at 1 a.m. Saturday, threatens to bring cloudy skies and rainshowers. Still, PAGASA said up to 15 meteors per hour may be observed at favorable sky condition, though there may be lulls even during the traditional maximum peak nights from October 21 to 22. "The Orionids are fast meteors and also have fireballs. The radiant of the shower will be observed north of Betelgeuse, the brightest star in the constellation Orion, the Mighty Hunter," Yumul said. On the other hand, Yumul said the Square of Pegasus will take center stage in the Philippine night sky after sunset, a sign of the arrival of the northern fall. Northeast of it lies the Andromeda Galaxy (M31), the closest large spiral galaxy to the Milky Way. "Under clear skies and with the aid of a star map and familiarity with the surrounding background stars, it can be seen as an elongated misty patch with the naked eye and can be easily viewed through binoculars and telescopes. The splendid W formation of stars known as the constellation of Cassiopeia, the wife of King Cepheus and the mother of Andromeda in the Greek mythology, lies to the left, while the constellation of Pisces, the Fish will be found at the lower right of the square of Pegasus," he said. Also, the famous equilateral triangle in the sky, known as the Winter Triangle, rises before midnight. The Triangle formed by the stars is composed of Betelgeuse, the super giant red star and the prominent star of the famous constellation Orion, the Mighty Hunter, Sirius, the brightest star in the sky of the constellation Canis Major (the Big Dog), and Procyon, the brightest star of the constellation Canis Minor (the Little Dog). – LBG, GMANews.TV