May could end with a spectacular sky show – or a dud.
That’s what astronomy experts say about a relatively new meteor shower known as the Tau Herculids, which is expected to be visible late Monday night May 30 until the wee hours of Tuesday May 31. May 2022.
How visible? That’s the big question.
Experts say this meteor shower is not one of the most reliable that appears every year during the same general period, but it is expected to be visible from our planet at the end of Memorial night. Day. And some believe the Tau Herculids shower has the potential to become a rare ‘meteor storm’, potentially producing hundreds of meteors – possibly as many as 1,000 per hour – for a short time.
“It’s going to be an all-or-nothing event,” said Bill Cooke, who directs NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama.
Cooke said the meteors from this shower are tiny debris from a comet known as SW3, which was discovered in 1930 by two German astronomers, Arnold Schwassmann and Arno Arthur Wachmann.
The comet had a wide orbit, circling the sun every 5.4 years, Cooke said. But it was so weak that it went unnoticed for several decades.
Experts say the viewing window is small, but there’s a chance the sky will be filled with dozens of shooting stars on Memorial Day night (May 30, 2022), thanks to the relatively new Tau Herculids meteor shower. .Shutterstock
“Being so faint, SW3 was not seen again until the late 1970s, looking fairly normal until 1995 when astronomers realized the comet had become about 600 times brighter and went from a slight stain to be visible to the naked eye when passed over,” he noted. “Upon further investigation, astronomers realized that SW3 had broken into several pieces, littering its own orbital trail with debris. has continued to fragment since then.
Cooke says the speed of the comet’s debris will determine how good or bad our view will be from Earth on May 30 and 31.
“If the debris from SW3 was traveling over 220 miles per hour when it separated from the comet, we could see a nice meteor shower,” he said. “If the debris had slower ejection velocities, then nothing will happen to Earth and there will be no meteors from this comet.”
Joe Rao, an astronomy expert at New York’s Hayden Planetarium, agrees the next sky event could be a disappointment, or it could turn out to be a dazzling display of shooting stars.
“It all depends on whether the debris has spread far enough in front of the comet to interact with our planet. Otherwise, we will see next to nothing at all,” Rao wrote in this Space.com report. “On the other hand, we could see meteors coming in by the dozens; a strong explosion similar in number to the annual Geminids of December. And if we pass through a high concentration of comet debris, then there is a possibility of a full-fledged meteor storm.
Experts say the viewing window is small, but there’s a chance the sky will be filled with dozens of shooting stars on Memorial Day night (May 30, 2022), thanks to the relatively new Tau Herculids meteor shower. . This GIF shows a meteor streaking across the sky above Cape May in August 2021 during the annual Perseid meteor shower. Chris Bakley
How to see the meteor shower
Chris Bakley, an astro-photographer and astronomy expert from South Jersey, says that while a lot remains unknown about this meteor shower, it’s definitely worth staying up late to try and catch a glimpse or snap some photos. .
“I want to let everyone know that this event is unlikely to happen,” he said. “But some of my best photography over the years has come from opportunities like this. This chance is worth taking and if it comes to fruition, it could very well be the most spectacular night sky event ever. we’ve ever seen here in New Jersey.
Unlike normal meteor showers, Bakley said the Tau Herculids shower should have a short viewing window because its peak will be short-lived.
“For us here in New Jersey, that peak will be 12:30 a.m. (Monday, May 30) to 1:45 a.m. (Tuesday, May 31),” Bakley said.
“If the (meteor) storm doesn’t occur during this time, I always recommend staying under the stars a bit longer in case the forecast is slightly off,” he added. “The radiant point will be high in the sky, so the meteors could come anywhere. But for this event, you really have to venture into the darkest skies to see it perfectly.
Similar to other meteor showers, this one can be seen without special equipment, like binoculars or telescopes. “But using a cell phone with night mode can help you capture an image that you can share with all your friends and family,” Bakley said.
He recommends using a tripod (an inexpensive tripod would work well), enabling night mode settings, and choosing “the longest shutter speed your phone will allow.”
“If meteors pass through during this time, your phone will capture it,” Bakley said. And, in the worst-case scenario, if the meteor shower dies out, you can still capture awesome photos of the stars.
This photo shows a meteor streaking across the sky above Cape May during the Perseid meteor shower that was active several years ago.Chris Bakley
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Len Melisurgo can be reached at LMelisurgo@njadvancemedia.com.