This Weekend's Meteor Shower May Dazzle …… or Disappoint



The Tau Herculids — a possible meteor shower that may be visible this weekend — will either be one for the history books, or not visible at all. Meteor showers are a debris record of life in our solar system, a reminder that there are many objects moving around and dancing in sync. As Earth crosses the paths of debris, that debris enters the atmosphere at a higher frequency than one-off objects entering the atmosphere from space. Astronomers aren't sure, but say we may see a meteor shower on the night of May 30-31. Whether or not we will see any larger pieces remains to be seen. It’s going to be an all or nothing event, and despite the uncertainty, many astronomers and intrepid meteor-gazers will be out on the night of May 30th anyway, since the new moon will also occur that night and give everyone a good chance to enjoy the night sky, whether there are meteors streaking across it or not. Calculations say the peak time will be 10:04 p.m. PDT, 11:04 p.m. MDT, 12:04 a.m. CDT, and 1:04 a.m. EDT on May 31st.