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Camelopardalides in the May sky. Photo taken after midnight from Thursday to Friday, May 21.
photo: Dawid Menard / trojmiasto.pl
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For several days, over the Tri-City sky, you can admire “shooting stars” – a meteor shower from the Camelopardalid swarm. They are to reach their maximum from 23 to 24 May. Observation may be made difficult by the expected rainfall, but the chance to admire the unusual phenomenon may appear on a Sunday evening, because then the weather is supposed to improve.
Latin name Camelopardalis refers to the constellation Giraffe, where the radiant of the meteor shower formed by the comet 209P /LINEAR. The astronomy show is exceptionally eye-catching.
The “stars” will “fall” slowly and brightly
– It is a swarm of variable activity, very slow, because the speed of entry into the atmosphere is only 15 km / s. It is believed that up to 300 phenomena per hour can be seen during the peak of activity. This year’s maximum is on May 23-24. This swarm can be observed with the naked eye. You will need a flat area, preferably away from city lights, a deckchair, a blanket, warm clothes, good company – says Artur Hojda, scientific supervisor of the GSA Observatory in Gdańsk.
Unfortunately, the GSA Observatory in Gdańsk is currently closed to visitors, but we hope that this will change soon. It is a good place to start your adventure with astronomy and see the planets and other celestial bodies orbiting the Sun with your own eyes.
Camelopardalides are small and enter the Earth’s atmosphere at a low speed, making them brighter and visible in the sky for longer. For comparison: Perseids are almost three times faster and run at a speed of 59 km / s.
Where to watch Camelopardalides over the Tri-City?
It is best to go to places that are not polluted by city light. Where is the darkest place in the Tri-City and its vicinity? We can check it, for example, on the website lightpollutionmap.info. Sobieszewska Island, beaches in the Kosakowo commune and Kashubian lakes are good places.
How to watch the night sky – guide
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Remember that our eyesight takes a few minutes to adapt to the darkness. The Giraffe constellation is located in close proximity to the easy-to-find Big Dipper, more precisely on its right. It includes the Polar Star. We can watch the meteor shower with the naked eye, although it is also worth arming with binoculars. The climax of the event is expected in the morning, before sunrise.
“Bloody Super Moon” on Wednesday
Just a few days later, on Wednesday at 1:14 pm, the moon will be full. This will be an exceptional phenomenon, as there will also be a full eclipse of the natural satellite on that day. The Earth, the Sun and the Moon at 10:47 am will be in one line, and the shadow cast on the Silver Globe will give the effect of a “bloody” or red fullness. Unfortunately, we will not see the eclipse in Poland.
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