Eyes on the skies Friday evening, May 23rd, into the early hours of Saturday, May 24th, as a never-before-seen meteor shower could light up the heavens in a spectacular display.
This weekend’s “surprise” meteor shower will be courtesy of a “dim, obscure periodic comet known as 209P/LINEAR, which will pass within 5 million miles of Earth, making it the ninth closest approach of any comet on record . Although Comet 209P/LINEAR circles our sun every 5.1 years, this year is different, with the Earth set to pass directly through some of the denser trails of debris shed by the comet long ago in the 1700s and early 1800s. The result will be a display of “shooting stars” on the 24th with a possibility for a meteor superstorm.
“Several predictions suggest you might see anywhere from 100 to 200 meteors per hour from a dark location free of light pollution. That means you could perhaps see one or two meteors per minute. Some (but not all) dynamicists think there’s even an outside chance that the celestial spectacle could briefly become a meteor ‘storm,’ with more than 1,000 arriving per hour!” according to Sky & Telescope magazine. If that occurs, the night skies will be buzzing with activity in a spectacular display. (See video http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=81sS0xuNQz0).
Those living in southern Canada and North America will get some of the best views of the meteor shower. Best times for viewing will be around 3 a.m. on the East Coast and just after midnight on the West Coast. You won’t need a telescope or binoculars to view the display either. Simply stand or sit looking up towards the darkest part of the sky. The meteors will appear all over the night sky, but if you follow their paths backward, they’ll trace back to a dim constellation known as Camelopardalis, the Giraffe, about 12° from Polaris, the North Star.
Camelopardalids_2014-Radiant_HD1.jpg
There have already been reports this week of bright fireballs in the skies, possibly linked to the incoming Camelopardalids shower. But because this is a new meteor shower, no one knows what to expect. NASA says that “…surprises are possible,” and that “outbursts could occur hours before or after the forecasted peak.” It all depends on how active the comet was all those years ago when the dense strands of debris were formed. Will the Camelopardalids shine brightly and often, or will the display be weak and disappointing? We’re about to find out!
For those unable to view the Camelopardalid meteor shower due to inclement weather or location (Australia), you can view it through a webcast using the Slooh robotic telescopes at http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=eCKKhEsPA8Y. Live coverage will begin around 11 p.m. Eastern (3:00 UT) on Friday, May 23rd.
Link: http://www2.gcnlive.com/CMS/index.php/component/k2/669-here-come-the-camelopardalids
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