Stargazers, youre in for a treat! According to NASA, May 23rd and 24th could be a big day for meteor observers. Thats when Earth is expected to pass through a cloud of debris from comet 209P/LINEAR, producing a never-before-seen meteor shower. Meteor rates could exceed 200 per hour, and some forecasters have even mentioned the possibility of a meteor storm. To view the Camelopardalid meteor shower choose an observing location which gives a wide view of the sky with as few obstructions as possible. If youre viewing from the city, try to observe where artificial lights obstruct the least. Meteor watching is basically an unaided-eye event but binoculars are handy for watching trails (persistent trains) that may hang in the sky for one or more seconds after a meteors passage. Luckily, the waning crescent moon will be a nonfactor for this viewing. The best time to watch these meteors is from Friday evening until morning twilight on Saturday. Thanks to OMSIs Space Science Director Jim Todd for this information! Read more: slate/blogs/bad_astronomy/2014/05/20/camelopardalids_a_new_meteor_shower_from_comet_209p_linear.html
Posted on: Fri, 23 May 2014 22:00:00 +0000
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