Well – here’s hoping for something spectacular and not another damp squib like Ison!
Less than two weeks to wait and see now.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bw3hVTUQ43U
http://www.space.com/25768-new-meteor-shower-comet-linear.html
New ‘Meteor Storm’ from Comet May Light Up Night Sky This Month
Skywatchers have something exciting to look forward to this month — a possible new meteor shower that could send up to 1,000 shooting stars per hour streaking through the sky.
On May 23 and May 24, Earth should plow through debris shed by Comet 209P/LINEAR, astronomers say. These extraterrestrial particles could give stargazers an incredible show as they burn up in the planet’s atmosphere — or the anticipated fireworks may fizzle out.
On 24 May 2014 a new meteor shower is predicted to light up northern hemisphere night skies. As many as 300 meteors per hour are set to streak across the sky in what could be a short-lived one-off meteor storm when Earth passes through the debris stream left over by Comet 209P/LINEAR. Peak meteor activity is forecast for around 07:40 UT (08:40 BST) on the morning of Saturday 24 May, which does not favour UK observers as the Sun will already have risen. But while observers in North America will have the best view Paris Observatory’s Jeremie Vaubaillon, co-discoverer of the new meteor shower, suggests that activity could last a few hours due to the spread of Comet 209P/LINEAR’s debris. UK stargazers might therefore still be able to catch a glimpse of the beginnings of the 24 May meteor shower just before it gets light on the Saturday morning.