Get bedazzled with Lyrids meteor shower in dark night sky till April 25
Get ready to bedazzled before the annual Lyrid meteor shower which starts April 16 through April 25. Lyrids meteor shower is known as the oldest and brightest recorded meteor shower clearly visible at the dark night sky with trails of light visible for few seconds. The Lyrids meteor shower will be active between April 16 and April 25 while it will be at its peak between April 22 and April 23 giving the skywatchers an impeccable view of the shooting stars where the frequency can reckon up to 20 meteors per hour where the total number could go up to 100 meteors per night.
The Lyrids meteor shower will show up beside the waxing crescent moon where it will be clearly visible under good conditions between dusk and down. To catch the best view of the stunning meteor shower, the northern hemisphere will take a big share of the pie as it will be vividly visible there while regions located in the mid-southern hemisphere will get a glimpse of this cosmic event too.
Shooting stars require no telescope as they are clearly visible with a naked eye, however, blink and you will miss it as it can be as fast as just a blink. The stunning meteor shower can be seen in a clear dark night since light pollution in the city and towns as well as huge buildings, trees, and other structures can block out the view between you and the stunning show in the sky. So find a nice and open space far from the lights and structures to get a view of Lyrids meteor shower. For instance, countryside skies are one of the best settings to view it without missing out.
Dating back to its history, Lyrids meteors are particles and stream of dust left by the comet G1 Thatcher that was discovered by A.E. Thatcher in 1861 when it passed over the skies of New York during its 415 years of orbit around the sun. Later, it was revealed to have a connection with the steam, dust particles and debris formed when it reaches near the sun which is what causes Lyrids meteor shower every year when Earth passes through the halo of gas left by comet Thatcher when Earth is in the Lyra Constellation near Vega, the second brightest star known.
Lyrids meteor shower was first documented at least 2,600 years ago when a Chinese narrative history Zuo Zhuan reported the incidence of shooting stars and referred it as rainfall of stars. Lyrids meteor shower occurs every year in April when the Earth passes through the halo of gas left by comet Thatcher and creates a stunning meteor shower when the particles come in contact with the Earth’s atmosphere and burns at the contact giving a stunning light shower.
Every 60 years, Lyrids meteor shower receives outbursts where more than 100 shooting stars per hour can be reported. The same incidence took place in 1992 in Greece, 1945 in Japan, and then in 1982 in the U.S., however, it won’t occur this year. The next outburst is reported in 2042.
Back in 1803, a journalist based in Virginia reported the Lyrids shower which reads: “[The outburst] alarmed many, and astonished every person that beheld it. From one until three in the morning, those starry meteors seemed to fall from every point in the heavens, in such numbers as to resemble a shower of skyrockets”. If you are looking forward to gaze upon the upcoming Lyrids meteor shower, watch out for a dark place with lower light pollution and strap yourself to get the glimpse somewhere in the midnight.
