How to view Lyrid meteor shower at its peak this weekend
The Lyrid meteor shower will be at its peak this weekend. Lyrids may look like fireballs, according to NASA. It would be fun to watch the Lyrids meteor shower during the weekend.
The Lyrid meteor shower, which is bright and fast is likely to peak this weekend. The Lyrids have been lighting up the sky for the past 2,700 years, and dozens of meteors could be seen per hour.
The shower occurs every April, and the best time to see this year will be between April 21 to 23. According to EarthSky, the peak will occur at 1:06 UTC on April 23 — or 9:06 p.m. EDT on April 22.
Sky watchers in the Northern Hemisphere can see the peak of the Lyrids meteor shower this weekend if they are not in an area that has excessive artificial light or cloudy weather.
Lyrid meteors are space debris from Comet Thatcher. According to NASA, it is one of the oldest known meteor showers, with the first recorded sighting going back to 687 B.C. in China.
Particles and bits of asteroids collide with the planet's atmosphere and burn up in late April every year, creating colorful streaks in the sky as the Earth passes through Thatcher's debris trail.
The best way to watch the peak of the Lyrid meteor shower this weekend -
There will be no full moon this year, and with a dark enough sky, stargazers may be able to spot 10 to 15 Lyrids per hour. Sometimes they have surges that produce up to 100 per hour.
NASA advises viewing the Lyrids after moonset but before sunrise in a dark region without streetlights in the Northern Hemisphere.
Lying flat on the ground to see as much of the sky as possible will give you the best chance of seeing the shower, which is expected to last until dawn.
When the Lyrids meteor shower peaks later Saturday night into early Sunday morning, viewers with clear skies and little light around them can see it.
If you want to see one of these meteors, you should go outside, when its radiant Lyra, the constellation from where the meteors appear to originate, will be above the horizon.
The meteors will appear to be coming from the constellation Lyra: shower's radiant point; which is quite easy to spot because it contains Vega, the second brightest star in the northern night skies.
According to NASA, if you want to get the best view of the Lyrids, you shouldn't look directly at this part of the sky. Instead, if you look away from the radiant point, they will appear longer.
For most, that will be during the last few hours before dawn. Those in the southern most parts of the world could still see meteors at reduced rates since Lyra does not rise as high above the horizon as in the Northern Hemisphere.
During the peak, spectators may see between 10 to 20 Lyrid meteors per hour, though as many as 100 meteors per hour have been seen in previous years.
Along with the peak of the Lyrids meteor shower, Venus will be just above and to the left of the waxing crescent Moon, which will have the Pleiades star cluster below it, according to NASA.