On Friday, thanks to Halley's Comet, you may expect to be dazzled by the Orionid meteor shower.

The peak of the Orionid meteor shower will appear in the night sky this week; look up about midnight Eastern Time on Friday for one of the best astronomical spectacles of the autumn season.

Bob Berman, an astronomer at Slooh, explained that the Orionids are well-liked by skywatchers because their component shooting stars are dust and debris from Halley's Comet, the most well-known comet in history.

The Orionids are acti....