Heads Up: The Lyrid Meteor Shower Is About To Light Up The Night Skies

The Lyrid meteor shower is active from April 16 to April 29 2023. It is one of the oldest known meteor showers. The Lyrids have been observed for 2,700 years. The first recorded sighting of a Lyrid meteor shower goes back to 687 BC by the Chinese. The Lyrids are known for their fast and bright meteors. Though not as fast or as plentiful as the famous Perseids in August, Lyrids can surprise watchers with as many as 100 meteors seen per hour. Sightings of these heavier showers occurred in 1803 (Virginia), 1922 (Greece), 1945 (Japan), and 1982 (U.S.). In general, 10-20 Lyrid meteors can be seen per hour during their peak. Lyrids don’t tend to leave long, glowing dust trains behind them as they streak through the Earth's atmosphere, but they can produce the occasional bright flash called a fireball. The pieces of space debris that interact with our atmosphere to create the Lyrids originate from comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher. Comet Thatcher was discovered on April 5, 1861, by A. E. Thatcher. Their radiant – the point in the sky from which the Lyrids appear to come – is near the constellation Lyra, the harp. Lyrids appear to radiate from the area near the star Vega, the brightest star in this constellation. It is actually better to view the Lyrids away from their radiant: They will appear longer and more spectacular from this perspective. Clear Skies!