A never-before-seen meteor show will make its debut this Memorial Day weekend, but how good will it be?

The shower, called the May Camelopardalids, will be comprised of dust from 209P/Linear, a periodic comet, according to NASA. The comet was only discovered in February of 2004 and enters Earth's orbit once every five years while circling the sun.

The meteor shower has never been witnessed before, so some are hopeful that it could be a big one.

"There could be a new meteor shower, and I want to see it with my own eyes," Dr. Bill Cooke, head of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office, said. "Some forecasters have predicted more than 200 meteors per hour."

On May 24, Earth will enter a stream of debris that came off of the 209P/Linear comet back in the 1800s, but experts are not sure how brilliant the show will be.

"We have no idea what the comet was doing in the 1800s," Cooke said. "There could be a great meteor shower or a complete dud."

If you want to watch the show (assuming there is one), NASA reports that the best time is between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time. Those in North America have a better chance at catching a good show because the area will see the meteor shower peak at night.

"We expect these meteors to radiate from a point in Camelopardalis, also known as 'the giraffe,' a faint constellation near the North Star," Cooke said. "It will be up all night long for anyone who wishes to watch throughout the night."

Meanwhile, Rich Talcott, Astronomy magazine senior editor, remains optimistic that the May Camelopardalids shower will light up Memorial Day weekend.

"Over the past 15 or 20 years, astronomers have done a very good job at figuring out, 'OK, here's where the debris streams will lie,'" he told News-Press. "I'm thinking the odds are pretty good we'll get something nice May 24."
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Follow Scharon Harding on Twitter:@ScharHar.

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