There could be a meteor shower emerging from Hercules tonight (May 30-31), so keep your eyes peeled for the area.
Astronomers are monitoring bursts from shattered Comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 (also known as SW 3) to see if it generates a stream of small space rocks exploding harmlessly in Earth’s atmosphere.
If you can’t see the event in person, you can watch the potential tau Herculids meteor storm online tonight with a live stream from the Virtual Telescope Project.
Previously, NASA astronomer Bill Cooke called the potential meteor shower milestone an “all-or-nothing event” in an agency blog post.
“If the wreckage of SW 3 traveled more than 220 miles [354 kilometers] per hour as it separated from the comet, we could see a nice meteor shower,” said Bill Cooke, who directs NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office at the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, in the release. (opens in a new tab).
“If the debris had slower ejection velocities,” Cooke added, “then nothing will reach Earth and there will be no meteors from this comet.”
Related: 2022 meteor shower guide: dates and viewing tips
Another determining factor in whether we will see a “storm” or not will be whether Earth passes through the thickest part of the comet’s debris stream. The flow is subject to the gravitational forces of our planet, the moon, the sun and other planets in our solar system, so it is difficult to predict.
But things that work in favor of North Americans include the new moon, which means there’s less natural light pollution to interfere with sightings, and Hercules soaring high in the sky at night (far atmospheric interference low on the horizon).
The place to watch for potential meteors would be the constellation of Boötes, a little north-northwest of its bright star Arcturus. (These are the International Astronomical Union names for the constellation and star, respectively, although you may use different names depending on your culture.)
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The comet has a capricious history. The comet displayed bursts of brightness in years like 1995 and 2000 during fragmentation and broke away in front of observatories such as the Hubble Space Telescope and the Spitzer Space Telescope. There are at least 68 pieces associated with the comet since its last appearance in 2017.
The comet was discovered 92 years ago by German astronomers Friedrich Carl Arnold Schwassmann and Arno Arthur Wachmann on May 2, 1930, and was the third small world co-discovered by this pair.
The comet is 9.2 million km (5.7 million miles) closer to Earth, orbiting the sun approximately every 5.4 years, according to Space.com astronomy columnist Joe Rao.
If the meteor shower doesn’t go as planned, or if you’re overcast or busy, consider some upcoming meteor showers in 2022 instead to plan your next excursion. The next major event is the Perseids from August 11-12, among the brightest events of the year.
If you’re hoping to photograph the tau Herculid meteor shower or want to get your gear ready for the next skywatching event, check out our best cameras for astrophotography and our best lenses for astrophotography. Read our guide on how to photograph meteors and meteor showers for more useful tips for planning your photo shoot.
Editor’s note: If you take an amazing photo of the tau Herculids meteor shower and want to share it with Space.com readers, send your photo(s), comments, and name and location to spacephotos@space.com.
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