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New Meteor Shower Expected To Light Up The Sky Overnight

PITTSBURGH (KDKA/AP) - There's a new meteor shower in town and it might even turn into a full-fledged storm.

Early Saturday, the planet will pass by debris from Comet 209P/Linear. The dusty debris is what creates the meteor shower. Scientists believe the shower could produce three, four or more - possibly a few hundred more - shooting stars per minute.

Check out Dennis Bowman's forecast:

North American sky-gazers will have the best views. NASA says the best time for East Coast viewers to watch is between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m.

KDKA Meteorologist Dennis Bowman says Pittsburgh sky-watchers should be able to see the meteor shower, although the view won't be perfect. Tonight might see some partly-cloudy skies.

If you don't want to go outside to watch though, you can also check out a live stream of the meteor shower at Slooh.com.

Comet 209P/Linear was discovered in 2004. It will be about 7.6 million miles from Earth on Saturday. Next Tuesday, the comet will pass within 5 million miles.

The shower's name is a mouthful: Camelopardalids. It's named after the giraffe constellation.

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(TM and © Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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