This morning’s meteor shower is an “all or nothing” event, says NASA

Expected to be one of the biggest astronomical spectacles observable to the naked eye in the year 2022, the Tau Herculídeas meteor shower is expected to take place at dawn on Tuesday, the 31st, the last day of May.

According to estimates by the US aerospace agency Nasa, the event could have up to 1,000 shooting stars per hour. The certainty that it will happen, however, is not complete, warns the agency.

Tau Herculides is actually a trail of pieces from a fragmented comet, 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann, or SW3. It was broken into pieces in 1995. The comet would only be visible in the terrestrial sky, given its trajectory and speed, from the month of August.

However, if the fragments that broke away from SW3 have sufficient speed – twice as fast as the original comet – the meteor shower will happen and will be visible. Observations made in 2009 indicate that this is the case. NASA urges caution, and says it is possible that the phenomenon will not be visible.

The apex of the event will be at one o’clock in the morning. The event can be observed in the skies of the southern hemisphere, but will be even more intense in the northern hemisphere.

Whether it happens or not, astronomy enthusiasts and skywatchers will be able to follow Tau Herculídeas online, by streaming the Virtual Telescope project – an initiative that brings together professional and amateur telescopes remotely and accessible to the general public. Watch:

Collaboration: Agência Brasil

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