The awaited Lyrid meteor shower is back! Skywatchers can catch a glimpse of these beautiful meteors streaking across the sky. Lyrids radiate from the Lyra constellation, lying near the star Vega. There are some dramatic meteors lying farther away that streak the sky. It can be seen with the naked eye, without using a telescope; in fact, using it can hinder your vision. These are one of the oldest known meteor showers, recorded back around 2700 years. These Lyrids will astonish sky observers with bursts of up to 100 meteors per hour.
What Is the Lyrid Meteor Shower?
According to reported by Space.com ,Lyrids are caused by the debris from Comet Thatcher (C/1861 G1) orbiting the Sun after every 415 years. This shooting star effect is created by the particles hitting the atmosphere at high speed during the passing of Earth through the trail of dust left by the comet. Though these meteors are not the flashiest, they still create a striking moment.
When Can You See These Lyrids?
These are active from April 15 to 29, but the best show will be observed in the early morning hours of April 22. The peak hours for the meteors will be between 3:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m., just before dawn. Escape the city lights and move to the rural region in a park, mountain, or beach trail. Keep in mind to stay safe and inform someone where you are moving. However, you can also take your friends together instead of going alone. Adjust your eyes to the dark for half an hour, and try to use red light for night vision.
The waning moon won’t be seen until after 3:30 a.m. local time, so there won’t be any outshining of the faint meteors by the moon. You can see around 15 to 20 metres under a dark sky if you are fortunate enough.
Lyrids are known for their rare surprise outburst, therefore, it is worth waiting to watch them in the sky. It brings spring to the northern hemisphere. So the wait is over, make yourself ready for this shower on April 22!
