On the plus side, it'll be a terrific night to be outside with a clearing sky and warm, summerlike, temperatures. But for tonight, there may be a bonus for going out on such a great night. There is a chance, and it's just that, of a 'meteor storm' tonight in the hours after midnight. We're saying 'maybe' because astronomers truly don't know if there could be 10,000 shooting stars per hour or 0. Yes, it's the broad side of the astronomical barn. The reason for the uncertainty is that this is Earth's first time passing through the debris from a comet that broke up several years ago. They don't know if...
1) The dust cloud will even be there in the first place?
2) How much cosmic dust and debris is there, if it is at all?
3) If the dust is there, how fast is it going relative to us?
When a comet passes by, it leaves a trail of stuff behind, dust and small pieces of rock. When the Earth passes through these cosmic litter trails, the dust and dirt hit our protective atmosphere usually at over 100,000 MPH and then incinerate. That's the glow of a shooting star we see. The faster they're traveling, and the bigger the objects, most of which are sand grains, but can be as large as your fist, the brighter they'll be when they burn up. The astronomers simply do not know the answer to those questions regarding tonight's potential.
It's best to go out after midnight and look for bright star Arcturus. It's the brightest star in our sky tonight and to find it find the Big Dipper's handle and follow the arc to it it. It's in the constellation Bootes. That should be the radiant point IF it occurs. IF they occur, they're expecting them to be pretty faint, because IF the dust cloud is there they're not expecting to be moving fast, relative to the Earth, so they won't burn as brightly. So be away from city lights for the best chances, IF it occurs.
The good news if you're heading out, it'll be warm tonight with lows in the upper 60's, so a very summery feel. Tomorrow as we end May, it'll be another hot and a bit more humid day with highs near 90. Meteorological summer begins Wednesday with another hot day before a late week cold front, with some midweek thunderstorm chances, arrives and takes our highs back below normal as the first days of June unfold.
