Global Courant 2023-04-20 06:07:00
One of the oldest known meteor showers will peak this weekend, with Canadians and others in the Northern Hemisphere expected to get some of the best views.
Known for its fast and bright meteors, the Lyrids will peak Saturday night, with an estimated 18 meteors, traveling up to 30 miles per second and available for viewing every hour.
“Although not as fast or abundant as the famous August Perseids, Lyrids can surprise observers with as many as 100 meteors per hour,” NASA says, adding that such sightings have occurred in the US at least four times between 1803 and 1982. Greece and Japan.
“Lyrids don’t tend to leave behind long, glowing dust trains as they blast through Earth’s atmosphere, but they can occasionally produce a bright flash called a fireball,” says NASA.
The Lyrids have been sighted for 2,700 years, and their first recorded sighting dates back to 687 B.C. by the Chinese, NASA says.
Their name is based on the point in the sky they seem to come from, known as the radiant, in this case near the constellation of Lyra.
In Greek mythology, the constellation represents the string instrument lyre played by the Greek hero Orpheus.
The Lyrids were created by space debris from comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher, which was discovered by AE Thatcher on April 5, 1861.
NASA says the Lyrids are best viewed at night in the Northern Hemisphere, in an area away from city or street lights.
“Come prepared with a sleeping bag, blanket, or lawn chair. Lie flat on your back with your feet facing east and look up, taking in as much of the sky as possible,” the agency says.
“After about 30 minutes in the dark, your eyes will adjust and you’ll start to see meteors. Be patient — the show lasts until dawn, so you’ll have plenty of time to catch a glimpse.”
The meteors appear to be coming from the region near the star Vega, the brightest star in the constellation Lyra.
But NASA says it’s better to view the meteors away from the radiant because “they will appear longer and more spectacular from this perspective.”
“If you look directly at the radiant, you’ll notice that the meteors will be short — this is an effect of perspective called foreshortening.”
The Lyrids are one of 12 meteor showers to appear this year, the first being the Quadrantids in early January.
After the Lyrids, the next expected meteor shower is the Eta Aquariids from May 5 to 6.
With files from CNN
