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Look up and be dumbstruck with wonder: the Lyrid meteor shower will grace the skies this month.Records of this celestial shower date back 2,700 years.Citizens of ancient China may have been speaking of the Lyrid shower when they witnessed meteors “falling like rain” back in 687 BCE. This cosmic phenomenon is named for the nearby constellation Lyra, itself a reference to the lyre carried by Orpheus, the most tragic widower/troubadour in the long, bloody litany of Greek mythology.
The Lyrid shower is composed of debris from the Comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher, named for A.E.
Thatcher, who discovered it in 1861.Researchers speculate the comet will take about 415 years to complete a full orbit.In the meantime, the Lyrid meteor shower is said to “outburst” or produce a shocking number of meteors every 60 years.The next Lyrid burst is due in 2042.Though 2025 is not an outburst year (at least not literally), April’s showers will still add up to a hell of a sky show.
The Lyrid meteor has peaked in late April for thousands of years.It begins in little bursts on the eve of April 16 and peaks in visibility next week.The dazzling display will peak on April 21 and April 22 but will be visible through April 29.Meteors are born from comet particles and asteroid debris.
When this glorious detritus travels around the sun, it leaves a trail behind.When Earth passes through these trails, the bits of space dust collide with our atmosphere and burn themselves up, and their disintegration creates streams of color and fire in the sky.The sky show will be visible from most points on Earth.Denizens of the Northern Hemisphere will be afforded the finest view.
This year, because the radiant rises before midnight, peak visibility will be before the fat crescent moon rises after midnight. Stargazers should aim to find a spot away from city lights or street lights and allow their eyes to adjust to the darkness for about 30 minutes.At times, the Lyrids can wow viewers with up to 1...