The Lyrid meteor shower will peak on April 22.
Much like meteors during a cascade , meteor showersdot the calendar not in an evenly administer design throughout the year but in deluges and droughts . Fortunately , a drouth is do to an end .
The Lyrid meteoroid exhibitioner will peak the night of April 22 , end a tenacious stretch without a important shooting star shower and bring us closer to the year ’s biggest showers . The Lyrids are n’t explosive like thePerseidsorGeminids , but they do do to bring back meteor showers to our stargazing calendar .
Here ’s what you need to know to get out and see the Lyrid meteor shower .
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How to See the Lyrid Meteor Shower
This twelvemonth , the Lyrids will bring around a dozen meteors per hour when it hits its efflorescence . alas , a close - to - full moon may make viewing less than stark . If you ’re a glass - one-half - full person , you ’d now note that the moon rises late , so there will be a unretentive period after midnight when the moon is n’t up . So , you ’ve got some time when the shower should be at its best ( after midnight ) without easy preventive from the moon .
At that point , EarthSkysuggests you might see around 10 to 15 meteors per minute as the Lyrids hit their peak.Space.computs that peak a little gamy , suggesting you may see 18 meteors per hour at the peak .
Like almost any meteor shower , you wo n’t see much if you ’re stargazing in an urban region . Thelight pollutionfrom cities will obscure many whizz and meteors . That ’s specially true if you ’re out when the brightness level from the moonshine is adding to the low-cal interference .
you may front anywhere in the sky to find meteor , but it may aid to point yourself by incur the configuration Lyra and the champion Vega . That ’s the radiant or point in time from which the meteor appear to emanate . However , you should n’t just stare at the radiant . That ’s the case with any meteor rain shower , but the Lyrids often produce fast - moving meteor , and they ’ll be be active by from the radiant . An app likeStar Walk 2is gratuitous and can aid you come up those objects in the night sky .
What causes the Lyrid meteor shower?
Most shooting star shower are cause by the Earth plowing through the detritus leave behind by a comet . The Lyrids one bechance when our unconvincing rock’n’roll blows through the dust from comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher . NASA says the Lyrids are one of the oldest commemorate meteor exhibitioner . Humans have observed it for more than 2,700 eld . You ’re connecting to that longsighted history of love the Lyrids if you ’re out there .
If you ca n’t go out on the night of April 22 , you may spot meteor for a brace of night around the peak if you ’re under dour skies . Though , it wo n’t be almost as spectacular as you ’d see during the peak . ( And the 10 - 15 shooting star raise by the Lyrids at their bloom is comparatively mild as it is . )
Bring something to avail you recline , like a lawn chairwoman or a blanket . Your friends will seem at you like you ’re a meteor shower bath pro , and your cervix would get awful sore if you ’re just stretch out up at the sky for a couple of hours .
