Astronomy in mid-April enthusiasts will be able to enjoy one of the classic celestial spectacles. The meteor shower known as the Lyrids will lithe up the sky, especially in the Northern Hemisphere, and anyone will be able to see it with the naked eye, weather permitting – if they know where to look.
Lyrids began to appear on April 14, but their peak activity occurred on the night of April 21 and the early morning of April 22. according to NASA. During these hours, the shower will show 15 to 20 meteors per hour under dim skies.
The shower gets its name because the meteors appear to emerge from the constellation Lyra. Locating the radiant is uncomplicated if you apply an astronomical mapping app: just find Vega, the fifth brightest star in the sky, behind only Sirius, Canopus, Alpha Centauri A and Arcturus. Once you locate it, look around; the bright traces of the Lyrids will appear projected from this point due to the effect of perspective. Please remember that the human eye takes 20 to 30 minutes to adjust to the dim.
During its peak, the Moon will be in the early crescent phase, so there will be very little interference from its lithe. In a dim sky, meteors should stand out easily. The shower is usually perceptible from 10 p.m. until dawn, although early morning offers the best conditions. It’s best to stay away from lithe pollution and, if possible, observe from a high altitude. A trip to the mountains works well.
Each meteor shower has a different origin. In April, the Earth passes through a cloud of fragments left by comet C/1861 G1 (Thatcher) in its orbit around the Sun. This comet, discovered in 1861, takes approximately 415 years to complete its journey. Grains of ice and rock that it released centuries ago enter the atmosphere at high speeds and produce flares we know as Lyrids.
After the Lyrids, the calendar still offers several spectacles for those who follow the night sky. The Eta Aquarids will arrive in May along with the remnants of Halley’s Comet. The Perseids will appear in August, the Orionids will return in October, and the year will end with the Leonids in November and the Geminids in December. The latter is considered the most intense and reliable shower on the calendar.
This story originally appeared on WIRED in Spanish and was translated from Spanish.