Clouds may part in Seattle for meteor shower
May 23, 2014, 11:12 AM | Updated: 12:55 pm
A streak appears in the sky during the annual Perseid meteor shower on Aug. 12, 2013. (AP Photo)
(AP Photo)
Forecasters say there may be a break in the clouds just in time to catch a glimpse of a never-before-seen meteor shower Friday night.
NASA says no one has ever seen the May Camelopardalids, but “the shower could put on a show that would rival the prolific Perseid meteor shower in August.”
The Camelopardalids shower would be dust resulting from a periodic comet, according to NASA.
“Some forecasters have predicted a meteor storm of more than 200 meteors per hour,” says Bill Cooke, lead for NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office. “We have no idea what the comet was doing in the 1800s. The parent comet doesn’t appear to be very active now, so there could be a great show, or there could be little activity.”
It sounds great if you live in a sunny region, but just our luck, it’s raining in Seattle for Memorial Day weekend.
Despite the dreary outlook, KING 5 Meteorologist Rich Marriott tells KIRO Radio there’s a chance the clouds will part late Friday night into early Saturday, which is about the optimal viewing time for May Camelopardalids (11 p.m. – 1 a.m.).
Rich also says skies should be pretty clear outside the convergence zone and those areas might even see some sun before it sets Friday evening.
If it is rainy, which is likely near the Cascade foothills, you can always check out NASA’s live chat from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m. EDT. There will also be a live stream of the night sky over Huntsville, Alabama.
