The Orionid meteor shower is set to peak this week. The best views, if your weather cooperates, will come overnight Wednesday into Thursday.

These are the 5 things you need to know about the Orionid meteor shower.

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5. The meteors are actually debris from the Comet Halley

Halley's Comet hasn’t paid Earth a visit since 1986, but pieces of the famous space rock still show up every fall. , according to Earth Sky. Pieces of the comet disintegrate in Earth’s upper atmosphere nearly 60 miles above the planet’s surface, but not before creating quite the spectacle for those down below.

4. The best places for clear skies

You don't want any pesky clouds between you and the stars, so the forecast is key to viewing. "Mainly clear skies will make for optimal viewing conditions from California into the northern Rockies and Upper Midwest,” according to weather.com meteorologist Quincy Vagell. “Meanwhile, a storm system across the central U.S. will result in cloudiness across the Plains and Lower Mississippi Valley. Fair conditions can be expected across much of the East with only patchy clouds.” Vagell adds a cold front moving into the Northwest could also cloud viewing there.

Perseid meteors streak across the sky during the annual Perseid meteor shower in Edremit district of Van, eastern Turkey on August 12, 2015.

3. 10-20 Meteors Could Fall Each Hour

The Guardian reports that That means you won’t see a constant stream of glowing rocks plummeting toward Earth at any given moment. Don’t let that fool you. Those watching from dark or rural locations will still have a front row seat for the kind of spectacle that only comes from space.

2. ...And They’ll Be Traveling At 41 Miles Per Second

You read that right. 41 miles per second. These rocks are literally scorching across the sky as they enter Earth’s atmosphere. Roughly half of these blazing fast meteors will leave gas trails behind them that are visible for a few seconds after the meteor is gone.

A falling star (L) crosses the night sky near Gemuend, western Germany, as the trace of an airplane (R) also can be seen during the peak in activity of the annual Perseids meteor shower on August 13, 2015.

1. From. Every. Direction.

The Orionids flying from the sky this month are named after the constellation Orion, where they appear to radiate. The thing is, these meteors generally aren’t visible until they’re at least 30 degrees from that radiant point. This means they can appear any and everywhere in the night sky. If watching with a party, focus on different areas of the night sky and be sure to call out the meteors as you see them.

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