Image credit: SpaceTimeMC2.com

A rare and stunning meteor shower is expected tonight. Experts say the normally weak Alpha Monocerotid meteor shower might put on a spectacular sky show Thursday night, bursting into a meteor storm with up to 400 meteors per HOUR and possibly as many as thousands of meteors per hour in some parts of the world!

The peak time is 11:50 PM local time in your area, but it will continue through the night until dawn. If you weren't aware, the name Monocerotid comes from the Greek word “monoceros,” which means unicorn, hence the "Uncorn Meteor Storm".

The Alpha Monocerotids are so named because the meteors seem to radiate from the constellation Monoceros. In other words, you can see these meteors in any part of the sky, but they appear to be coming directly from the area where the Monoceros constellation is in the south to southeastern sky. Monoceros is a bit southwest from Orion.

Viewing tips: Give your eyes plenty of time to adjust to the low light of the night sky. It may take a good 20 minutes for your eyes to adjust. You may have better luck laying on your back on a blanket or sleeping bag, or on a lounger. Just keep your eyes wide open and take in as much of the sky as possible.

Consider bringing some snacks such as a drink and some potato chips or peanuts as you may get quite hungry if you're out there for a couple hours. The most important tip I can give you is to just enjoy the show! Be sure to comment on this page or on our Facebook page https://facebook.com/spacetime.mc2 to let us know if you've seen any meteors!

-Gary