New Meteor Shower Debuts Tonight

Stargazers, get excited! Clear skies tonight will mean perfect viewing for a brand new meteor shower called the Camelopardalis (Pronounced kah-MEL-oh-PAR-dal-iss). The comet responsible for tonight's meteor shower was discovered in 2004 and this will be the first time this meteor shower can be seen from Earth.

What will be interesting to see is how many meteors actually show up. Scientists are forecasting 100-200 meteors an hour when the shower peaks between 1:00-3:00am. That's one or two each minute. But some scientists are saying we could see a meteor storm, which is defined as 1,000 meteors an hour or more! If you're up late, enjoy the show! -BA

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

Peak: Friday night into Saturday morning... 1:00-3:00am
Forecast: 100-200 meteors an hour
Where: Meteors will originate in the northern sky near the constellation Camelopardalis (Thus the name), but will be able to be seen anywhere in the night sky.

Camelopardalis

Camelopardalis

Courtesy: Sky & Telescope