There is a chance that there will be a meteor shower tonight from Hercules.
Astronomers are keeping an eye on the shards of broken-up comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 to see if there is a stream of small space rocks that harmlessly blast into Earth's atmosphere.
If you can't see the event in person, you can watch it online with a livestream from the Virtual Telescope Project.
In an agency post, NASA astronomer Bill Cooke called the potential meteor shower milestone an "all or nothing event".
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If the debris from SW 3 was traveling more than 220 miles per hour when it separated from the comet, we could see a nice shower.
There will be no meteorites from this comet if the debris has slower ejection speeds.
Dates and viewing advice are included in the guide.
Whether or not we see a storm or not is dependent on whether or not Earth passes through the debris stream of the comet. The stream is subject to the forces of our planet, the moon, the sun and other planets, so it is difficult to predict.
There is less natural light pollution to interfere with observations, and Hercules rides high in the sky overnight, which are things that are working in North America.
The constellation Boötes, a little north-northwest of its bright star Arcturus, would be a good place to watch for potential meteors.
The comet has a history. During 1995 and 2000 the comet displayed flashes of light, which were visible to the Hubble Space Telescope and the Spitzer Space Telescope. There are at least 68 pieces associated with the comet.
The comet was discovered 92 years ago by German astronomer, Friedrich Carl Arnold Schwassmann and Arno Arthur Wachmann.
The comet comes as close to Earth as 5.7 million miles, or 9.2 million km, according to Space.com astronomy columnist Joe Rao.
If the shower doesn't pan out as planned, or if you get clouded out or busy, you should consider some upcoming meteor showers in 2022. The best event of the year is the Perseid on August 11 to 12.
If you want to photograph the Herculid meteor shower or want to prepare your gear for the next skywatching event, check out our best cameras for Astrophotography. For more helpful tips to plan out your photo session, read our guide.
If you take a picture of the Herculids meteor shower and would like to share it with Space.com's readers, send your photo, comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.
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