 The Orionid meteor shower is produced by the well known Halley's Comet, which was named after the astronomer Edmund Halley and last passed through the inner solar system in 1986 on its 75- to 76-year orbit.When the comet passes through the solar system, the sun sublimates some of the ice, allowing rock particles to break away from the comet.These particles continue on the comet's trajectory and appear as meteors ("falling stars") when they pass through Earth's upper atmosphere.