Meteor Shower to Celebrate Memorial Day Weekend

A very beautiful, and very rare surprise comes just in time for the holiday weekend! Spend late Friday night into Saturday morning stargazing to see the Camelopardalid Meteor Shower!

The Camelopardalid Meteor Shower is forecasted to show 200 to 1,000 meteors an hour between 2am and 4am EST Saturday morning! No one has seen this meteor shower before! “We have no idea what the comet was doing in the 1800s. The parent comet (comet 209P/LINEAR) doesn’t appear to be very active now, so there could be a great show, or there could be little activity,” said Bill Cooke, lead for NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office.

“New meteor showers don't come along that often. It'll be the first time in a generation that a new meteor shower will show up,” according to CNN Meteorologist Sean Morris.

The comet 209P/LINEAR is a Jupiter family comet discovered in 2004. Earth will travel through debris ejected from the comet 209P/LINEAR in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries! If the comet was actively producing a lot of dust during that time, the Earth may be treated to a potentially incredible meteor shower.

North America will have the most visibility of the shower, and the best places for viewing in the U.S. will be east of the Mississippi River or in California, as rain in Pacific Northwest and Plains will affect viewing.

Milky Way against silhouetted Owachomo Bridge at Natural Bridges National Park, Utah

We are excited about viewing the sky tonight in hopes for a meteor shower that could rival the prolific Perseid meteor shower in August!

It's exciting, the unpredictability of the shower. Like life, there is no certainly that the outcome will be as expected. We just have to prepare, show up and hope for the best!

For optimal viewing in your area, seek out a dark sky with minimal light pollution.

If you're having trouble seeing it, or if you want to join other amateur astronomers across the country as it happens, NASA's website will host a live chat from 11 p.m. Friday until 3 a.m. EDT Saturday, as well as offering a live view of the skies over Huntsville, Alabama.

A view of the Milky Way Galaxy at Cherry Springs State Park, Pennsylvania.

Dumbbell Nebula as seen through park's telescope at Observatory Park Geauga Park District, Ohio

Curbing Light Pollution

Most of us live in urban areas, comprised of streets, homes, offices, parking lots and other buildings. We use artificial light to brighten our homes and path ways in the dark. Rarely do we see stars. Maybe only a handful of them, and they seem to be few and far between. We plan vacations around being in the openness of the desert, mountains and valleys to soak up the beauty of the world's natural nighttime light.

As civilizations arise into industrial societies, artificial light is necessary to live, work and play. However most of the lights are being used improperly, compromising both the night sky as well as other inhabitants of the wild. Birds rely on night for proper mating and hunting, and turtles are distracted by artificial light and don't hatch eggs properly. While the necessity and use of lights are not in question, their design most certainly is.

All cities have ordinances preventing the incorrect use and design of lights. However, we've still tried to find a house for the first time and the porch lights are illuminating the garage or a tree instead of the address. We've all had to squint from the glare produced by lights to see if someone was on the other side of the door, car, or tree because drastic shadows were preventing us from seeing someone instead of allowing us to see that person.

There is a solution to light pollution, angle lights down towards the path you wish to illuminate, and create shields from preventing the light shining on the sky.

The International Dark Sky Association is the only non-profit created to preserve and protect the nighttime skies through environmentally responsible outdoor lighting. It has created a program for communities, parks and reserves to aspire to be included in, for all who achieve this association are exceptional in their efforts of limiting light pollution.

For practical products and tips:

Guideline for Residencial Lighting.

Search approved fixtures.