So...Meteor Storm Tonight?

amateur astronomer in the UK reports detecting 22 meteors per minute around dusk via radio telescope #Camelopardalids

— Tony Rice (@rtphokie) May 23, 2014

Now, I'm almost certain this rate plunges for visual, but if it's even a fraction of this, we're in for a great show tonight folks. It would certainly make up for the fizzle that ISON wound up becoming.

Here's what you'll need to do so you can enjoy the Camelopardalids:

1- STAY AWAKE. Drink a cup of coffee.

2- FIND A CHAIR THAT YOU CAN TAKE OUTSIDE. Don't take your wife's good chair outside into the grass. I learned that lesson the hard way.

3- FIND A DARK SITE. Time Square won't do. Try our dark sky directory if you live in a more blighted area, otherwise just start driving until you find a Shell with a frightening gas station attendee. You'll know you're in the right spot to start catching meteors.

4- LOOK UP. Meteors very rarely appear near the ground. Very bright ones, extremely so, and they aren't a pleasant experience. Just ask a hadrosaur.

5- STAY AWAKE. Seriously, it won't hurt to have another cup of coffee.

6- GRAB A PAIR OF BINOCULARS. Between bursts, take a gander at the moon (once up later in the evening) and some of the brighter Messier objects. It will help you as you try to STAY AWAKE.

7- WEAR COMFORTABLE CLOTHES. Really horde, just wear clothes. You can get away with hanging out on the side of the road or a nice field, so long as you aren't naked. People will start asking questions, and you'll get tired of the questions, and you'll start to doze off, and you need to avoid that because you need to

8- STAY AWAKE. Have you ever had two red bulls in a sitting? Why not up your ante.

Peak rate is expected at 3am EDT, 12am here on the West Coast. Enjoy!

posted by CAC at 08:39 PM

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