Camelopardalids Meteor Shower

Updated: 05/23/2014 9:11 PM
Created: 05/23/2014 9:06 PM

A meteor shower unlike any we have ever seen is possible tonight.  Or is it?  It'll either be a boom, or a bust.

The reason we don't know?  It's the first time the earth has ever encountered the blanket of rock/ice chunks it will be passing through.  The Camelopardalids are expected to rain down tonight.  And those with clear skies should be in for the spectacle.  Earth will be passing through the debris field left behind from the Comet 209P/LINEAR.

The name comes from where the meteors will originate, near the faintly lit constellation of Camelopardalids in the northern sky.  Meteors will be visible all night but peak frequency will be between 1AM and 3AM central daylight time.

It is estimated as many as 500 meteors per hour will be possible, which is a very high frequency for a meteor shower.

If you don't want to venture outside to witness, NASA has made it easy for you, with a camera aimed at Camelopardalids tracking the sky for streaking fireballs.  The stream can be found here.

Storm Tracker 6 Chief Meteorologist
Chris Kuball