One of the most prominent spring “shooting stars” groups reaches its peak tonight (April 21-22).
The famous Lyrid meteor shower will become visible in the Northern Hemisphere from approximately 10:30 PM local time and will continue at night, weather permitting in your area of course. The best visibility is probably before sunrise, after the crescent moon sets; otherwise you may experience some disturbance from moonlight.
The separate meteors, or small space rocks, of the Lyrids appear when the Earth, moving in its orbit around the sun, plows in the dusty trail of a long-departed comet called Thatcher, which swings past the Earth every 415 years (the last time in 1861, exactly 160 years ago).
Related: Lyrid Meteor Shower 2021: When, Where and How to See It
The radiant, or point from which the shooting stars appear to emerge, is located in the constellation Lyra, high above the horizon. You can find your way to Lyra by looking for Vega, one of the brightest stars in the northern sky. But make sure to look a little away from Lyra, as the meteors with the longest traces will appear far beyond the constellation.
You don’t need telescopes or binoculars to see a meteor shower; your eyes will do. Dress warmly (April is still very cold in many US regions) and go outside about 20 minutes before starting your observations to give your eyes time to adjust to the darkness. Move away from outdoor lighting as much as possible and use an easy chair if possible to avoid neck pain while looking at the sky.
Technically, the Lyrids will continue until April 30, but NASA meteor expert Bill Cooke told Space.com you should see the most meteors from Wednesday through Thursday morning (April 21 to April 22). “Get up early for sunrise, after the moon has set. You have a good chance of seeing Lyrids this year, ”Cooke said.
That said, NASA warns that the ideal viewing time window on Thursday is very short – probably only about half an hour before the skies light up just before 5am locally.
Cooke predicted that skywatchers will see about 18 meteors per hour – depending on how dark your sky is, so get away from light pollution whenever possible (and if it’s safe, since many regions of the world are currently under pandemic quarantines).)
Related: How to See the Best Meteor Shower of 2021
This year’s predicted amount of visible meteors is well within the usual range of 15 to 20 meteors per hour. Sometimes Lyrid meteor showers can produce bursts of up to 100 meteors per hour, but Cooke said the forecast for this year is very unlikely in that regard. Previous prominent meteor showers were in 1803, 1922 (96 per hour) and in 1982 (80 per hour); The 1803 event was particularly spectacular when the city people of Richmond, Virginia left their beds to see a rain shower that seemed to come from all over the sky.
Any meteors you can see this year are likely to stand out. Skywatching columnist Joe Rao says the meteors are bright and fast, moving through the atmosphere at an average speed of 30 miles per second. About a quarter of individual meteors will run large trains across the sky, perhaps as many as five to 10 such meteors during a night with excellent conditions around the peak date of the storm.
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