Camelopardalids meteor shower viewing tonight over Nevada and California skies
Step outside and take a look at the skies tonight and early Saturday morning for a meteor shower that hasn't happened before. Scientists are calling it the Camelopardalids. No one has seen it before, but the shower could put on a show that could rival the prolific Perseid meteor shower in August.
The Camelopardalids shower is dust resulting from a periodic comet, 209P/LINEAR, according to NASA.
The meteor shower should be visible throughout North America after dark, beginning at around 7:30 p.m. throughout Nevada and California, and peaking from around 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. Pacific Time. Scientists are not in agreement as to how many meteors are expected, but a rate of 200 meteors per hour during the peak may be possible.
The National Weather Service in Reno says there's a likelihood of mid to high-level broken clouds for the Carson City and Lake Tahoe region overnight, so viewing may not be optimum. But if you can peer through the moving high clouds, you may be able to see shower activity. The weather service says the best time to view the shower is between midnight and 2 a.m.
NASA will have a live web chat and a Ustream feed on its website here.