NASA announced that a special astronomical event may occur on the night of May 30th. Stating that a meteor shower, called Tau Herculids, that has never been seen before, can rain, the officials underlined that it can be observed with the naked eye.
Tau Herculids meteor shower may occur
Space researchers can predict meteor showers from stationary celestial bodies such as Halley’s Comet. Halley’s Comet, which orbits the sun every 76 years, heats up and leaves fragments as it approaches the sun. The debris left behind by Halley’s comet is known as the source of both the Eta Aquariid and Orionid meteor showers.
The Tau Herculid meteor shower is new because the comet, technically called 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann, has recently disintegrated. Also known as SW3, the comet was first seen in the 1930s. Unobserved until the 1970s due to its dimness, SW3 disintegrated in 1995 leaving a trail of debris.
Scientists announced that the Earth will pass through the debris cloud. “It’s going to be an all or nothing thing,” said Bill Cooke, leader of the Meteoroid Environment Office. said. Commenting on the
meteor shower, Cooke said, “If the debris from SW3 is traveling more than 220 miles per hour when it leaves the comet, we can see a beautiful meteor shower. If the debris has slower launch speeds then nothing will reach Earth and unfortunately we won’t be able to see the meteor shower.” made statements.
What do you think about the expected meteor shower? You can share your ideas in the comments section and on the SDN Forum.
20997
