Clear Skies For Meteor Shower Overnight

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Astronomy fans think clear skies overnight could bring a show somewhere between a meteor shower and a meteor storm.

Astronomer Mark Hammergren tells WBBM Newsradio's John Cody that debris from Comet "Linear 209p" should strike Earth's atmosphere late Friday night and early Saturday, with the peak coming about 1:30 Saturday morning.

He says "Linear 209p" orbits the sun about every five years and was first discovered 10 years ago.

However the debris that will hit the Earth late Friday is left over from a pass made by Linear 209p sometime in the 1800s

Astronomers on the Internet say observers may see somewhere from 100 to 400 meteor streaks per hour if the weather permits.

Hammergren said the best way to see the show is by finding a spot open from horizon to horizon and away from any natural light that might swamp the fainter images of the comet debris striking the Earth's atmosphere.