However, NASA emphasizes that there is no guarantee of a good view even if the sky is clear and dark. It can come to nothing.
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 wasn’t observed 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.
–
–
NASA said that observations from the Spitzer Space Telescope published in 2009 showed that some of the fragments were moving fast enough to be visible, attracting astronomers.
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.
All or nothing happens
Debris from SW3 will hit Earth’s atmosphere more slowly than any other meteor shower which is the speed at which the debris hits rather than the volume of debris that causes the rain.
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. It appears to radiate from the constellation known as Bootes, he said, to the northwest of the bright orange star known as Arcturus (alpha Bootis).
“You don’t need to look directly at the sky because meteors can appear anywhere in the sky. In fact, they are more likely to appear at lower elevations in the sky because at these elevations one sees through the thicker part of the sky.” atmosphere when looking directly up.
Meteor shower again
If the Herculid rain turns out to be in vain, don’t be afraid, there are still many other opportunities to witness this year’s meteor shower.
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 shower 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.
The Perseid meteor shower, the most popular of the year, will peak between August 11 and 12 in the Northern Hemisphere, when the moon is only 13% full.
- 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
–
–
Ashley Strickland contributed to this report.
–
“Beer fan. A devoted pop culture scholar. Coffee Ninja. Evil zombie fan. Organizer.”
—-
–
