The Lyrid meteor’s flight will be visible in late April and astronomers in the North will clearly see the dirt path of a comet with an orbit of centuries around the sun. Lyrid meteors fly in the sky between April 14 and April 30, so astronauts can see them through that window, weather permitting.
O Lyrid meteor shower
By the time: 14 to 30 April
the peak: April 22
Comet origin: C / 1861 G1 Thatcher (Comet Thatcher)
Zenithal hola hola (ZHR): 18
(The number of meteors seen by a single observer per hour of high activity with the sky bright, dark and shining at the zenith).
The height of the Lyrid meteor on the night of April 22, NASA meteorologist Bill Cooke told Space.com.
The full moon is now a fading moon, about 61% illuminated at the height of the Lyrids, so the light of the moon is obscuring the visions.
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The average Lyrid produces between 15 and 20 meteors per hour, and this year astronomers can expect to see about 18 per hour, depending on the type and darkness. your heaven, said Cooke.
In some years, the Lyrid meteor rain rises and can produce 100 meteors per hour in what is called an “outburst,” but it is difficult to accurately predict the future.
“People say it’s sometimes there,” Cooke said, “but the data doesn’t support that.” Although there are 30 years between these eruptions, it is only an average; The actual number of years varies between events, Cooke said.
Where can you find Lyrids?
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The brightness – the point where meteors are seen – rises in the evening sky in the constellation Lyra northeast of Vega, one of the brightest stars seen in the night sky today. the year. Don’t pay close attention to the glare, because you might forget about meteors with very long tails.
The Lyrid water meteor is a medium flash, but not as bright as the famous Perseid meteor shower in August, which is expected to make famous trails, Cooke said.
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What is the cause of the Lyrid meteor rain?
Lyrid meteors are small fragments of Comet Thatcher, a long comet that orbits the sun about once every 415 years. The pieces of rubbish left in his comet are seen every year. (Comet Thatcher’s most recent perihelion, or closest relationship to the sun, is in 1861. It does not return until 2276.)
Meteor rain occurs when the Earth travels in the path of a comet, merging with the path of comet debris. That is why they work at the same time each year and can be seen from specific areas of the sky. They light up the Earth’s sky, meteors emit bright rays from the sky called “shooting stars.”
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Lyrid meteors come quickly – but not like the Leonids, which rise in November, Cooke said. “The Leonids hit us,” he said. “The Lyrids were like hitting the left front fender.”
The Lyrids are one of the oldest recorded meteors, says Cooke, dating back to 687 BC You don’t need any kind of special equipment to spot meteors; Just look at the dark sky, be patient and enjoy the show.
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Explore the Lyrids with more details with NASA Science. Read more about the Lyra team with this article from In-The-Sky.org. Learn about Comet Thatcher – the origin of the Lyrids – with this NASA Science article.
