An explosion of new meteors may occur during a Herculid tau meteor shower on May 30 and 31, but this is not certain.
NASA astronomer Bill Cooke described the potential milestone as an “all-or-nothing event” in an agency blog post in early May, as astronomers track the remains of the broken comet 73P / Schwassmann- Wachmann 3 (also known as SW 3). .
“If SW 3 waste traveled more than 220 miles [354 kilometers] per hour when it separated from the comet, we could see a good meteor shower, “said Bill Cooke, who heads NASA’s meteoroid environment office at the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville. Alabama, in a statement (opens a new tab).
“If the debris had slower ejection rates,” Cooke added, “then nothing will reach Earth and there will be no meteors from this comet.”
If you want to photograph the Tau Herculid meteor shower or want to prepare your team for the next sky observation event, check out our best astrophotography cameras and the best astrophotography lenses. Read our guide to shooting meteors and meteor showers for more useful tips for planning your photo shoot.
Related: 2022 Meteor Rain Guide: Dates and Display Tips
The comet was first observed almost exactly 92 years ago by German astronomers Friedrich Carl Arnold Schwassmann and Arno Arthur Wachmann on May 2, 1930. (The comet is the third found by these astronomers after the 1927 discoveries. 1929).
Orbital data showed that the comet is approaching the Earth up to 5.7 million miles (9.2 million km), orbiting the sun approximately every 5.4 years, according to the astronomy columnist Space.com Joe Rao. The comet was only observed sporadically for decades, but was finally recovered in 1990.
The comet showed striking excesses of brightness in years like 1995 and 2000 when it began to fragment. On April 18, 2006, the Hubble Space Telescope found dozens of fragments (opens in a new tab). SW 3 continued to remove infrared camera (IRAC) observations from the Spitzer Space Telescope. Finally, the comet broke into more than 68 pieces, polluting the solar system with debris after its most recent appearance in March 2017.
Arcturus in the constellation of Boötes. (Image credit: Getty Images)
The place to observe potential meteors would be the constellation of Boötes, just north-northwest of its bright red star Arcturus. (These are the names of the International Astronomical Union for the constellation and the star, respectively, although you can use different names depending on your culture.)
Fortunately, the sky will be dark as the moon is in its new phase. Try to look away from the point of origin (the radiant) to catch the longest and brightest meteors and move away from artificial light.
“If we get there this year, the debris in SW 3 will hit the Earth ‘s atmosphere very slowly, traveling just 10 miles. [16 km] second, which means much weaker meteors than those belonging to the eta Aquariids, “NASA said (opens in a new tab).” But US star observers are taking special note this year, because the radiant tau Herculid will be high in the night sky. at scheduled time “.
If you’re unlucky or unlucky when it comes to observing meteorites this time, mark the upcoming 2022 meteor showers to plan your next excursion. The next major rain will be the Perseids from August 11 to 12, when the weather is warmer. The Perseids are one of the brightest rains of the year and well worth the effort to go out and look.
Editor’s note: If you’re taking a stunning photo of the Herculean Tau meteor shower and want to share it with Space.com readers, send your photos, comments, and your name and location to spacephotos @ space. how.
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