One of the most prominent groups of “falling stars” in the spring rises overnight tonight (April 21-22).
The famous Lyrid meteor shower will become visible in the northern hemisphere starting at about 22:30, local time and continuing overnight, weather permitting in your area, of course. The best visibility will probably be before dawn, after the appearance of the rising gibbous moon; otherwise, you may experience some moonlight interference.
The individual meteors, or tiny space rocks, of lyrids appear when the Earth, moving in its orbit around the sun, throws itself into the dusty tracks of a distant comet called Thatcher, which sways on Earth every 415 years (last in 1861). , exactly 160 years ago).
Related: Meteor rain Lyrid 2021: When, where and how to see it
The brightness or point from which shooting stars appear to emanate is in the constellation Lyra, above the horizon. You can find your way to Lyra in search of Vega, one of the brightest stars in the northern sky. But make sure you look slightly away from Lyra, as the meteors with the longest paths will look good outside 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 parts of the US) and go outside for about 20 minutes before paying to start your observations, to give your eyes time to adjust to the darkness. Stay away from outside lights you can and, if possible, use a sunbed to avoid sore throats while looking at the sky.
Technically, Lyrids continues until April 30, but NASA meteorite expert Bill Cooke told Space.com that you should see most meteors Wednesday through Thursday morning (April 21 – April 22). “Get up early before dawn, after the moon appears. You have a pretty good chance of seeing some lilies this year,” Cooke said.
That being said, NASA warns that Thursday’s ideal viewing time window is very short – probably only about half an hour before the sky clears just before 5 a.m. local time.
Cooke predicted that observers will see about 18 meteors per hour – depending on how dark your sky is, so run away from light pollution where you can (and if it’s safe to do so, given that many regions of the world are under pandemic quarantine right now.)
Related: How to see the best meteor showers in 2021
This year’s estimated amount of visible meteors is in the usual range of 15 to 20 meteors per hour. Sometimes Lyrid meteor showers can cause explosions of up to 100 meteors per hour, but Cooke said this year’s forecast is very unlikely in this regard. Prominent meteor showers from the past were in 1803, 1922 (96 per hour) and 1982 (80 per hour); The event of 1803 was particularly spectacular, as the townspeople of Richmond, Virginia left their beds to see a shower that seemed to come from all over the sky.
Any meteors you can see this year will probably stand out. Skywatching columnist Joe Rao says meteors are bright and fast, moving through the atmosphere at average speeds of 48 kilometers per second. About a quarter of individual meteors will leave large trains in the sky, maybe even up to five to 10 such meteors, on a night with excellent conditions around the peak rainy date.
Follow Elizabeth Howell on Twitter @howellspace. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.