First Supermoon of the Year To be Seen Over the Hudson Valley
As we wrap up the month of May, the Hudson Valley just might be treated to a surprise "meteor storm". But while that "all or nothing" astronomical event isn't a certainty, what's coming up in the month of June is. Aside from five of the planets aligning in night sky, we are also expecting the year's first Supermoon.
Some even refer to it as the Super Strawberry Moon. The name comes as it is the last full moon of the spring, and comes during the time of year when berries ripen.
AccuWeather says that this will be the first Supermoon in about a year. Supermoons occur when the Earth aligns with the Moon and Sun as the perigee (closer) side of the Moon is facing us, and the Moon happens to be on the opposite side of Earth from the Sun. Basically, it's just a full monn but slightly bigger and brighter. The next Supermoon will arrive the nights of June 13 to 14.
As of now, it is too far off to get an accurate weather prediction for the Hudson valley those night.s
Surprise Meteor Shower?
Space.com says it is known as the tau Herculid meteor shower and is the remnants of a split-up comet called 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 3. NASA astronomer Bill Cooke says what will determine how spectacular of a show this will be was how fast the debris traveling at the time the comet broke apart. Also, the Washington Post says the position of the debris in the Earth's orbit will be a make or break factor. Cooke calls it an "all or nothing event".
However, if the tau Herculid meteor shower is a "boom", we could see as many as 1,000 meteors an hour if everything goes right, according to the Washington Post. The Post even goes on to use the term "meteor storm," which sounds quite dramatic. Of course, the chances we see everything line up just right to provide that sort of viewing is unlikely, according to scientists.