In case you plan on staying up into the wee hours of morning tonight you will be in for a treat!
The Camelopardlids metor shower, caused by the passing of Comet Linear, will be viewable in the northern sky overnight tonight. Some astronomers are predicting a peak of 200 meteors per hour between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. on the 24th.
According to Alan Goldstein, Interpretive Naturalist with Falls of the Ohio State Park:
Meteors will likely be seen before and after, but sometimes peaks are very sharp – when the earth is facing directly into the particle stream.
This is a naked-eye event – the only equipment you need is a lounge chair or blanket on the ground. The only hazard is falling asleep which is easy to do when the meteors are sparse. The Camelopardlids… are named for the radiant – the part of the sky they appear to radiate from – rather than the comet that left the debris behind. The radiant is in the constellation of Camelopardalis (the giraffe, not the camel!) which is almost due north.
The forecast is good – meteorologically. But meteorically, it is “up in the air.”
For more information on the Camelopardlids, click here.