Look Up! Lyrid Meteor Shower

Would you like to see a meteor shower? Of course! Well, you're in luck, because the Lyrid meteor shower peaks this week. If you would like to see a meteor streak across the sky, your best bet will be to watch in the early morning of Saturday, April 22, when the shower peaks. However, meteors could be visible all week long.

Lyrid meteors in the Southern Hemisphere. Image Credit: APOD and Yuri Beletsky

Predictable meteor showers, like the Lyrids, occur when the Earth passes through the dust trail left behind by a comet. The bright "shooting stars" you see streaking across the sky are actually very small bits of dust, entering our atmosphere and vaporizing. You can learn more about meteor showers in this previous post.  The Lyrids are caused by Comet Thatcher, which last passed Earth in 1861, and won't be by again until 2276. There are no pictures of this comet, because it takes 451 years to orbit the Sun! Here is an excellent picture of Rosetta's comet, to hold you over. 

Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on April 15. As the comet approaches the Sun and warms up, some of the ice vaporizes, forming the coma and tail. Image Credit: ESA/Rosetta/NavCam – CC BY-SA IGO 3.0

What you need to know if you want to watch:

The best time to see the meteors will be in the hours before dawn on April 22. The waning crescent Moon, rising at about 4 AM, will be low and should not cause much interference. Astronomers are predicting 10 to 20 visible meteors an hour in ideal sky conditions, however, it is difficult to predict meteor showers. There could be many more, or many less than predicted. You don't need any special equipment to watch, just a safe, dark viewing spot, and warm clothing.

The reason this shower is called the Lyrid meteor shower is because the meteors originate from the part of the sky marked by Lyra the Harp. The higher Lyra gets in the sky, the easier the meteors will be to see. Lyra will be highest in the sky just before dawn. However, meteors will be visible all over the sky - you don't need to look any certain direction - and could be visible as soon as the Sun sets. 

 

Find Lyra the Harp by finding the bright bluish star Vega, high in the sky in the predawn. Image: Stellarium and me.

Lyra is a small constellation, and Vega is the most noticeable star in it.

Good luck and have fun catching the Lyrid meteor shower this week! Remember, you can always learn what's up in the night sky in the Dome Planetarium at the Peoria Riverfront Museum, where we teach about space and science everyday. Follow us on Facebook or Twitter for daily updates! 

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