The Gamma Delphinids are coming: 'elusive' meteor shower expected in US tonight

The gamma Delphinids are coming to Earth tonight, NASA says, as it predicts that the early hours of Tuesday, June 11, will bring the best visibility of the meteors since they were first observed in 1930. People in North and South America may be able to spot them in areas with dark skies, the agency says.

Because no viewing of the gamma Delphinids has been strongly confirmed since a group of Maryland sky watchers reported seeing them in 1930, the meteor shower has retained an air of mystery.

"No one knows the strength of this display or whether it will occur at all. It would most likely be of short duration (less than one hour and perhaps as short as 15 minutes)," writes Robert Lunsford of the American Meteor Society. "This is not something one can stand outside and try to witness. Serious observers should be comfortable in a lounge chair and watch for at least an hour."

NASA calls the meteor shower "elusive," "scarcely known," and fast, saying that, "If they exist, gamma Delphinids move at a speed of 57 km per second, or 127,500 miles per hour — pretty fast for meteors."