A new meteor shower could light up the North America sky Friday evening.
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| Giraffe Meteor Shower 2014 |
NASA says the Earth is set to travel through debris ejected from comet 209P/LINEAR in the 18th to 20th centuries. If the comet was actively producing a lot of dust during that time, the Earth may be treated to a new meteor shower, tentatively named the May Camelopardalids and also referred to as the Giraffe Meteor Shower.
The May Camelopardalid radiant is in the constellation Camelopardalis, which translates to “camel leopard” or giraffe, it adds.
Since it is a new shower, NASA isn't quite sure what, if anything, observers will see on Friday night. It, however, expects the shower to be active between 9:30 pm on May 23 to 6:00 am on May 24 CDT and to peak between 1:00 am to 3:00 am CDT.
NASA predicts the rates to be from zero to hundreds of meteors per hour during peak hours, with a peak rate of approximately 200 meteors per hour.
To know whether you can observe the Giraffe Meteor Shower in your area, check out the visibility map below. If your location is in the yellow zone, and you have clear dark skies, you should be able to see the meteor shower during the expected peak, if it occurs.
NASA adds, "To enjoy the show, you have to check the visibility map to make sure it’s visible from your location. Then check the weather - if you are expecting clouds, then Mother Nature has just rained on your parade, you won’t be able to see any meteors. If the weather gods are smiling down upon you, find a safe, dark location and lay out beneath the stars. You don’t need to look in any particular direction, just straight up. Meteors can appear all over the sky. Add a lawn chair or sleeping bag and snacks and you should."
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