BALTIMORE, MD—One of the oldest known meteor showers begins tonight and will peak next week. The Lyrid meteor shower, which has been observed for over 2,700 years, starts on April 16 and peaks on April 22nd and 23rd.
The first recorded sighting of a Lyrid meteor shower goes back to 687 BC by the Chinese, according to NASA.
This is an average shower with around 20 meteors per hour. The Lyrids, though, can sometimes produce bright dust trails that can last for a few seconds. The moon will be at 33%, waning crescent, so the viewing conditions should be fairly favorable, according to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
The Lyrids are caused by Earth passing through debris left by Comet Thatcher, which takes about 415 years to orbit the sun.
Stargazers should head out after midnight and look toward the northwest in the constellation Hercules. The best views will be closer to morning, when the radiant point will be higher in the sky.
The π-Puppid meteor shower will also be active from April 15th – 28th with a peak around the 23rd. Things should be active from dusk until around 11 p.m. Look to the west. The new moon will be on April 27th.
Photo via Pixabay
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