The Lyrid meteor shower is the first of Spring and it’s set to peak in the early morning hours of tomorrow, according to NASA as reported by BusinessInsider. The Lyrid meteor shower happens in the final days of April each year as the Earth passes through the dusty trail behind comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher, otherwise known as Comet Thatcher.
[ignvideo url=”https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/10/25/nasa-names-new-constellations-after-hulk-tardis-more”]
As for the best way to view this shower, NASA says in its blog post about the shower that its “best viewed in the Northern Hemisphere during the dark hours (after moonset and before dawn),” and that those interested should “find an area well away from city or street lights.”
“Come prepared with a sleeping bag, blanket or lawn chair,” the blog post reads. “Lie flat on your back with your feet facing east and look up, taking in as much of the sky as possible. After about 30 minutes in the dark, your eyes will adapt and you will begin to see meteors. Be patient — the show will last until dawn, so you have plenty of time to catch a glimpse.”
NASA says that Lyrids “frequently leave glowing dust trains behind them as they streak through the Earth’s atmosphere” and that these trains remain observable for several seconds.
[widget path=”global/article/imagegallery” parameters=”albumSlug=gorgeous-photos-of-earth-from-space&captions=true”]
According to BusinessInsider, viewers should wait until the “waxing moon sets,” which will happen around 4 a.m. EST in the U.S., as doing so will make it easier to see the meteors and their tails in the sky. The meteors are best viewed in the Northern Hemisphere, per NASA, but BusinessInsider reports that those in need of a reference point of where to look should look for the “harp-like constellation Lyra, from which the Lyrids often seem to emerge.”
This comet was discovered in 1861, according to NASA, and the pieces of space debris from the comet that interact with the Earth’s atmosphere are what’s responsible for the Lyrid meteor shower that’s happening tomorrow. This shower is one of the oldest-known meteor showers, according to NASA, as they’ve been observed for 2700 years, with the first recorded sighting happening in China in 687 BC.
“The Lyrids are known for their fast and bright meteors, though not as fast or as plentiful as the famous Perseids in August,” NASA’s blog post reads. “Lyrids can surprise watchers with as many as 100 meteors seen per hour. Sightings of these heavier showers occurred in 1803 (Virginia), 1922 (Greece), 1945 (Japan), and 1982 (United States). In general, 10 to 20 Lyrid meteors can be seen per hour during their peek.”
[ignvideo url=”https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/14/signs-of-alien-life-found-on-venus-ign-now”]
For more science from IGN, check out this story about how NASA named some new constellations after Hulk, Thor’s hammer, Godzilla, Doctor Who, and more. Read this story about possible signs of life detected on Venus as far back as 1978 after that and then check out this story about how the next possible Earth might be a planet with two suns like Tatooine.
[poilib element=”accentDivider”]
Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer, guide maker, and science guru for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.
