There is a chance that debris of the comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann (SW3) will cause a meteor shower this week as Earth passes through its trails.
Science Times previously reported that this is an all-or-nothing event. If the fragments are ejected at incredible speeds, then a meteor shower will be possible and show a dazzling night show. Observations from 2009 show that the fragments are moving fast enough to cause a meteor shower. If it's the same this time, here are the best spots and ways to view it.
Best Spots to See Tau Herculids Meteor Shower
NASA said that the Tau Herculids meteor shower could be a super boss as there could be thousands of faint fireballs or falling stars visible in the sky this week. The meteor shower is said to peak on Monday night and Tuesday morning.
Will a new #meteorshower, the tau Herculids, put on a spectacular show the night of May 30-31? Maybe, maybe not. But if you have clear weather, the moonless sky should be beautiful for stargazing anyway.
— NASA Solar System (@NASASolarSystem) May 27, 2022
Details: https://t.co/GzrnnIBkMD
All about meteors: https://t.co/SFZJQwdPxf pic.twitter.com/ShKZmc24Mc
According to Paris Observatory, Californians have some of the best seats because they can witness around 50 fireballs per hour. The 2022 Old Farmer's Almanac added that if predictions are accurate, there could be hundreds of faint to moderate fireballs per hour visible in the US, especially at 10 pm PST in California, Arizona, Nevada, and northwestern Mexico.
In northern parts of California, Record Searchlight reported that the good place to watch the meteor shower in Shasta County would be at Whiskey town Recreation Area, Shasta Dam lookout, safe pull-offs along 299 and other highways, and areas outside of Burney and the eastern part of the county.
Furthermore, the Shastice Park, Lake Siskiyou, Castle Lake, and Mt. Shasta vista points in Siskiyou County are other great places to watch the meteor shower. Experts noted that if there will be a meteor shower, it will be a rare event because those rocks are from Comet SW3, which broke apart less than 45 years ago.
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How to Watch Tau Herculids Meteor Shower Online
For those who will be able to see the spectacular night show caused by the debris from Comet SW3, experts recommend trying to get away from city lights to get a better view of their light. However, for those who will not be able to see it in person due to geolocation problems, don't worry because there is another way to witness the celestial event.
Thanks to technology, you can view it live stream from the Virtual Telescope Project, according to Space.com. Astrophysicist Gianluca Masi in Ceccano, Italy, is leading the free webcast that will begin at 12 a.m. EDT (0400 GMT) on May 31 and will feature views from the cameras in Arizona and Brazil.
What Makes Tau Herculids Meteor Shower Unique
If predictions are correct and there will be a meteor shower this week, then it will be a rare treat. Experts explain that the comet that birthed the meteors broke apart over four decades ago, which seems to be a blink in geological time.
NASA defines comets as frozen leftovers from when the Solar System formed and contained fine dust, rock, and ice. Comet SW3 was first spotted by discoverers Arnold Schwassmann and Arno Arthur Wachmann, after whom the comet was named, in 1930 and was seen again in the late 1970s.
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