A sensational new space exhibit might blow up in the night sky over the Bay Area on Memorial Day, but it might not.
Stargazers exist on their toes over the Tau Hercules, and a never seen meteor shower is likely to appear roughly around 10:00 pm on May 30th. They are created from particles from the comet SchwassmannWachmann 3, which started to break up in 1995, the garbage is anticipated to strike out Earth’s orbit again next week, but this time it will be noticeable to the naked eye.
NASA models indicate that if the particles were expelled at a sufficient speed at its repeal, North America could watch a meteor shower.
However, if the particles were sluggish, we can’t expect to see anything more than the normal constellations and probably a satellite in orbit that night.
“It could be a meteor storm, which is impressive,” announced Robert Lunsford, fireball report coordinator for the American Meteor Society. “But it can be so dim that no one but radar can see it.”
However, according to the American Meteor Society, the garbage from the comet is shifting in the same general direction as the Earth, implying that any meteor will stride much slower than anticipated for a meteor shower. While this does not prevent a firestorm from happening, it does make it less likely.
If the Tau Hercules does not arrive, the next major meteor shower that will be noticeable in the Gulf region will be the Perseids, beginning in July and peaking on August 13th.
