The astronomical events of the month of May bring us each year the eta aquarids, a shower of stars whose peak occurs in the first days of the month. However, to close May this year we could have another much more special meteor shower: the herculid tau. Unlike the eta aquarids, this is a irregular phenomenonwhich is not usually seen, but when it is, it can become what is known as a meteor storm. Thousands of stars can rip the sky in a very short period of time, giving rise to a unique spectacle.
All meteor showers come from fragments of some comet or asteroidwhich meets the Earth during its travel around the sun. When the fragmentation of said object took place a long time ago, the terrestrial gravity has distributed that debris in a way more or less homogeneous. However, if the event occurred recently, the rock pieces are in highly concentrated patches. Therefore, it may take several years until our planet runs into one of them. Usually you won’t see anything, but when you hit a patch the meteors, which are debris burning up as they pass through the atmosphere, will be countless.
It is not possible to know exactly when these meteor storms will occur. However, some predictions can be made. The last major meteor storm occurred in 2001-2002 and featured thes Leonidas. It is believed that the herculid tau will occur the night of May 30 to 31, at 01:00 EDT. That is, at 07:00, Spanish peninsular time, and 00:00 in Mexico City.
It is expected to be seen best in America, basically because it will be night there at the time its peak is expected. Although that of the Leonids lasted several hours, it is believed that this could last only 15 minutes. That would restrict the rain only to very specific places on the planet. But it is not safe. The astronomers themselves acknowledge that the calculations could fail and Europe could become the best place to see it. If it is seen.
Tau herculidas, much more than a shower of stars
The comet that could generate this meteor storm at the end of May is the 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann. It was discovered in 1930 by the two astronomers who gave it its name, but it was not detected again until 1970. Then, in 1995 It was seen again after a fragmentation that had left numerous debris in its wake.
Go around the sun every 5.4 Earth years. The Earth gives another every year, logically. They will be found annually, but they will not always coincide in those dense patches of debris that have not been completely dispersed since 1995.
Its fragments travel at a very low speed and this has its pros and cons. For one thing, the larger ones will be much easier to see. On the other hand, the smallest ones might not become bright enough to be observed. Even so, it is not ruled out that a meteor storm, with thousands of them flying through the sky in a short time. As for the light, it will coincide with the new Moon, so there will be enough darkness to enjoy the show.
Other meteor storms
The shower of stars that has left the most known meteor storms in its wake is that of the Leonids. It takes place in the month of November and, unlike the herculid tau, it is always seen. However, it only gets to throw off large swarms of meteors about every 33 years, when the comet Tempel–Tuttle It is at perihelion.
In 1799, naturalists Alexander von Humboldt and Amadeus Bonpland they were carrying out an expedition in Venezuela when suddenly the sky was full of bright teardrop stars. The two scientists later declared that for four hours they came to see thousands and thousands of racing cars and shooting stars ripping the firmament. But she not only saw herself there. There were also accounts of Eskimos from the Labrador Peninsula and Greenland who claimed to have seen something similar. Over time, many more people added their testimonials.
In 1833 there was another meteor storm, also very intense, which was recorded in a surprising engraving, made by Alexander Vollmy. Then, in 1866, there was another great event, in which some 6,000 meteors per hour. Shortly before, in 1864, an American astronomer studied historical records for similar accounts and found that, since 902, approximately approximately every 33.5 years. Sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less.
By this time astronomers already had a deeper understanding of these striking meteor showers. In fact, after that of 1866 it was observed that the mass of rubble had been deflected by perturbations from Saturn, Jupiter, and Uranus, so that expected for 1899 or 1900 would be insignificant. So it was.
Now everything points to the fact that we could have a great show with the Herculean tau. But only time will tell if it really becomes a meteor storm and, above all, if it happens to coincide with forecasts. If it finally arrives, not the whole planet may be able to enjoy this brutal meteor shower live, but surely there will be many photos left to remember. Perhaps as striking as Alexander Vollmy’s engraving.