A new meteor shower could illuminate the night sky on Memorial Day Monday and Tuesday (May 30-31) or it could be a major failure. But either way, you can watch it live online.
Called the Tau Herculid meteor shower, the event has the potential to be a so-called “meteorite storm” of 1,000 shooting stars per hour on Monday night as the Earth traverses the debris of comet 73P / Schwassmann-Wachmann 3. But also could fade. completely, scientists still don’t know. A NASA scientist called it an “all-or-nothing event.”
You can watch live viewings of possible meteor showers early Monday and Tuesday night on the live stream above of the Virtual Telescope Project led by astrophysicist Gianluca Masi in Ceccano, Italy. The free broadcast will begin at 12 p.m. Masi told Space.com. You can also view it directly from the Virtual Telescope Project website (opens in a new tab) at startup.
Related: The biggest meteor storms of all time More: The possible meteor shower is “an all-or-nothing event,” says NASA
Three different views of comet 73P / Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 views by astrophysicist Gianluca Masi of the Bellatrix Observatory and the Virtual Telescope Project in Ceccano, Italy, May 4, 2006. (Image credit: Gianluca Masi / Bellatrix Observatory / Virtual Telescope project)
The potential for meteor showers comes from the disintegrating nature of comet 73P / Schwassmann-Wachmann 3. The comet was first discovered in 1930 and orbits the sun once every 5.4 years, reaching 5.7 million miles (9.2 million kilometers) from the sun each. time.
But it is not true that the dusty and gaseous debris of comet 73P / Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 will cause an impressive meteor shower, meteorite storm, or whatever.
Bill Cooke, a NASA astronomer tracking meteor showers at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, said it all depends on the speed of the comet’s material.
“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, “Cooke said in a recent statement (opens in a new tab).” If the debris had slower ejection rates, nothing would come Earth and there will be no meteors from this comet. “
It was Cooke who said that the Tau Herculid meteor shower would be “all or nothing” in the same statement.
Related: 2022 Meteor Rain Guide: Dates and Viewing Tips
The comet’s bursts between 1995 and 2000 increased its brightness, and in April 2006 the Hubble Space Telescope detected a major fragmentation event when the comet separated. As of March 2017, up to 68 different fragments of the comet remained.
To see any meteor showers from the Tau Hercules meteor shower, observers should try to stay away from city lights, as any “shooting star” will likely be faint due to its slow speed, NASA has said. .
“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] per second, which means much weaker meteors than those belonging to the eta Aquariids, “NASA wrote in a guide (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 the scheduled rush hour. “
Editor’s Note: If you’re taking an amazing 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.
Email Tariq Malik at tmalik@space.com (opens in a new tab) or follow up with @tariqjmalik (opens in a new tab). Follow us @Spacedotcom (opens in a new tab), Facebook (opens in a new tab) and Instagram (opens in a new tab).