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Tau Herculids Meteor Showers: When, Where, and All About the Potential Sign of 1,000 Meteors

Astronomers see the possibility of a new meteor shower appearing on May 30-31. A lot of information about the new meteor shower, Tau Herkuld, is circulating the internet, arousing curiosity among sky-watchers. Meteor showers are expected to illuminate the sky over Memorial Day weekend, depending on the speed and distance of the meteoroid.

According to NASA, Earth will pass the trail of the shattered comet in 1995. “It’s going to be a really cool meteor storm. People cite up to 1,000 meteors they can see per hour,” Natalie O’Ellett, an astrophysicist and coordinator of the University of Montreal’s Institute for Exoplanet Research, told CTVNews in a telephone interview Friday, May 27. “The speed and direction of the debris will ultimately determine how much spectacle an onlooker gets.”

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What is Tau Herculed?

In 1930, German observers Arnold Schwassmann and Arno Arthur Wachmann discovered comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann, or “SW3”, orbiting the Sun every 5.4 years. SW3 was so faint that it wasn’t seen again until the late 1970s. By 1995 it seemed pretty normal. At that time, astronomers said the comet was about 600 times brighter and became visible to the naked eye in a faint speck of light as it passed through. Upon further investigation, astronomers realized that SW3 had shattered into pieces and covered its orbital trail with debris. In fact, between 1935 and 1974, the SW 3 went back and forth 8 times and was never seen. It was not seen again until March 1979. A return in January 1985 was missed, but was recalled back in early 1990, Space.com reports. It reached nearly 70 pieces by the time it passed Earth again in 2006, and has continued to be fragmented since then.

Bill Cooke, director of NASA’s Meteor Environment Agency, said, “When it reaches us this year, fragments of SW3 will attack the Earth’s atmosphere very slowly, traveling at 10 miles per second. This means a meteor that is much fainter than the meteors belonging to Eta. Aquarius. However, North American stargazers are paying particular attention this year, especially during peak observation hours, as the night sky’s tau Heraklide radiation will be high. Even better, the moon is new, so there won’t be any moonlight to wash away the faint meteors. .

“This is going to be an all or nothing event,” Cook said.

When can I see the Tau Herculid shower?

Studies by a team of prominent meteor shower experts have concluded that Earth will interact directly with the material released by SW 3’s fission at the end of May 1995. And the possibilities of new planetary displays never seen before look particularly promising. . According to NASA, “From the night of May 30 through the early morning of May 31, Earth will pass through the remnants of a broken comet called 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann, or SW3.” The consensus of the various forecasts all points to Tuesday, May 31st at 05:00 UT/GMT. Tuesday, May 31 at 1:00 AM EDT or Monday, May 30 at 10:00 PM PDT.

“The problem is that since it’s our first time going through this rubble we’ll actually be passing right in front of it and we could miss most of the really good chunks. “, the outlet explained.

Where can I find the Tau Herculed Shower?

The actual rate of Tau Herculid showers will be slow and, according to the International Meteor Organization, the event will be best seen in North America and parts of all of Central America (radiation altitude and dark optimum: approximately Southern California, Mexico to Texas) Until). The crescent also allows for better optics while showering. “It’s usually not good for a full moon during a meteor shower because the moon drowns the shooting stars,” explains Ouellette. That is one of the good news.” she added

The Tau Herculids Stream is the point above Baja, California, near bright star Arcturus according to Old Farmer’s Almanac. The starry pattern associated with the Tau Herculids is the constellation Hercules, the fifth largest constellation in the sky. Unfortunately, in the Far West and North America, and the rest of the planet, the sky will be too bright or too bright or too far away from incoming meteors to see possible displays.