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Camelopardalid Meteor Shower: A Spectacular “Maybe”

NASA

Earthlings may finally get a glimpse of a meteor shower hundreds of years in the making on Friday, that’s if the comet called 209P/LINEAR left enough space dust in its trail to be visible in Earth’s night sky.

“If, 200 years ago when nobody knew it existed, it was a really active comet that threw off a bunch of stuff, we’re in for a great show. If, however, it was not an active comet, we may be just standing out there watching the sky and not seeing much,” said Utah's NASA Ambassador Patrick Wiggins.

Wiggins says the shower would be the first time the Earth has passed through this particular debris trail.

Two years ago, when the comet was discovered, astronomers predicted a spectacular meteor storm. But, as the predicted event has gotten closer, astronomers have gotten less bold in their predictions. Now, Wiggins says most astronomers are just hoping the shower will occur.

Here’s Wiggins' viewing suggestions for the shower:

“Go someplace dark, get away from the city, lay back, look up, have something hot to drink that will keep you awake, have some friends around, that always helps too. Make it kind of a party atmosphere and watch the sky and hope that we see history.”

The meteor shower is predicted to originate from the northern constellation Cameolpardelis. Wiggins says the best time to look up is between midnight on Friday and 2 a.m. on Saturday morning.

After graduating with a B.S. in Anthropology from the University of Utah, Elaine developed a love of radio while working long hours in remote parts of Utah as an archaeological field technician. She eventually started interning for the radio show Science Questions and fell completely in love with the medium. Elaine is currently taking classes at Utah State University in preparation for medical school applications. She is a host of UPR’s 5:30 Newscast and a science writer for the Utah Agricultural Experiment Station. Elaine hopes to bring her experiences living abroad in Turkey and Austria into her work.