There is a chance you can view a special astronomy event this Memorial Day weekend.
There is a chance that the new meteor shower could be visible on the night of May 30 into May 31 in North America. It's hard to say if the meteors will be visible or not, as it's called a hit or miss event by NASA.
The event is new and uncertain. When the Earth intersects with clouds of debris, pieces of the debris enter the atmosphere and burn up, creating a bright streak in the sky.
The source of the debris in the Eta Aquariid meteor shower came from a known comet, but in this case it was Halley's comet. Every 76 years, a comet named Halley travels around the sun and releases particles of debris. The debris left behind by this comet is the cause of the Eta Aquariid and Orionid meteor showers as it travels around the sun once per year.
The comet that broke into pieces recently is responsible for the new shower. The comet, known as 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann and more commonly referred to as SW3 because it was so faint, was first seen in the 1930s. When it was observed in 1995, it was brighter than before and left a trail of debris in its wake. The comet continued to fragment into smaller pieces over time, and now Earth is passing through its debris cloud, and it could lead to a spectacular meteor shower.
Bill Cooke, leader of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office at the Marshall Space Flight Center, said that the event was going to be all or nothing. There will be no meteorites from this comet if the debris has slower ejection speeds.
That means that if there is a visible meteorite, it will be faint and slower moving than usual. North America will be the best place to view the shower because it is dark and clear. The shower will peak at 1 a.m. On the East Coast, it is at 10 p.m. On the West Coast.
According to advice from space.com, you don't need a telescope or binoculars to see a shower, but you should avoid looking at bright light sources like your phone. Wrap up warm, lie down and look up at the sky to increase your chance of seeing the meteors.
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