The comet, officially known as 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann, or SW3, was discovered in 1930 by German observers Arnold Schwassmann and Arno Arthur Wachman. NASA says it was not seen again until the late 1970s, and in the 1990s the comet broke into several pieces.
By the time SW3 passed Earth again in 2006, it consisted of about 70 pieces, and has been fragmented even further since, the statement said. It’s unclear whether the debris will hit Earth’s atmosphere at high enough speed to cause a meteor shower.
Every year, there are about 30 meteor showers, which occur when Earth passes through a trail of debris left by comets or asteroids, which can be seen with the naked eye.
Meteor showers are usually named after constellations that appear to glow in the night sky, although Robert Lunsford, secretary general of the International Meteor Organization, said Tau Hercules was misnamed.
In a blog written ahead of Monday’s meteor shower, he said that it would appear to radiate from the constellation known as Bootes, northwest of the bright orange star known as Arcturus (alpha Bootis).
Meteor shower again
There are many other opportunities to witness a meteor shower this year.
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Delta Aquariids are best viewed from the southern tropics and will peak between July 28 and 29, when the moon is 74% full.
Interestingly, another meteor shower peaked that same night – Alpha Capricorn. Although this rain is much weaker, it has been known to produce several bright fireballs during its peak. It will be visible to everyone, no matter which side of the equator they are on.
It will peak between August 11 and 12 in the Northern Hemisphere.
- October 8: Draconid
- October 21: Orions
- 4-5 November: South Taurid
- 11-12 November: North Torres
- 17 November: Leonid
- December 13-14: Gemini
- December 22: Ursid
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Ashley Strickland contributed to this report.
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