Lyrids meteor shower starts, peaking the next week

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Search for the bright star Vega when it is high in the night sky if you want to see the meteor shower.

Lyrid meteor shower starts, peaking the next week

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One of the earliest meteor showers is currently active.

For the next two weeks, the Lyrids will be gliding with the night sky. The rain started on Saturday and will reach its height on April 21 and 22.

According to NASA, this specific space phenomenon has been studied for 2,700 years. They are renown for their swift, brilliant meteors, although the renowned August Perseid meteor shower still reigns supreme.

At the height of the Lyrid meteor shower, observers typically see 10 to 20 meteors per hour. With fewer meteors apparent on the other days of the shower.

The best way to view the Lyrid meteor shower

The nights of April 21 to 22 and April 22 to 23 will be the best times to view the shower this year. On April 22, according to Earthsky, the peak will occur at 7:06 p.m. Mountain Time.

NASA’s suggestions

According to NASA, you should choose a location away from the city. Or street lights for the best opportunity of seeing the meteors. Your feet should be in the east as you lie flat on a soft blanket or lawn chair. And take in as much of the sky as you can. Be patient; it might take your eyes 30 minutes to adjust sufficiently for you to see the shower.

The constellation Lyra is the location of the Lyrids’ radiant, which is from where meteors appear to be coming from in the sky. In fact, that is how the shower got its name.

Between nine and ten p.m. local time, the brightest star in that constellation, Vega, will start to rise above the horizon. By regarding midnight, it will have risen high enough to see meteors. But based on EarthSky, the higher the star rises in the night sky, the more meteors you are likely to see.

But don’t just focus on that one point in the sky. According to NASA, as the meteors travel farther away, their trails will grow longer and more impressive.

This year’s new moon is on April 19, so viewing should be aid by the lack of moonlight on the peak nights. Provided that the weather is cooperative.