This year ’s Lyrid meteor shower is expected to peak between midnight and dawn on Saturday nighttime / Sunday daybreak . That means two thing . One : it ’s the weekend , which intend you have no self-justification not to rest up . Two : it ’s a unexampled Moon , which means for the first time in almost nine month , uranologist will have a luck to charm a meteor shower without having to worry about any moonshine deflower their nighttime profile . Here ’s what you involve to know to spot as many meteors as possible .
The matter about the Lyrids is that they ’re a impulsive bunch . Sometimes this rain shower peak at just 20 meteoroid per hr , but they ’re also notorious for really bringing the awesome when you least carry it ; on a safe twelvemonth , stargazer can expect to spot upwards of 100 Lyrid meteors per time of day during peak stargazing hours .
This twelvemonth , the exhibitioner is await to top out Sunday morning at 05:30 GMT ( That ’s 1:30 am EST and Saturday , 10:30 pm PST ) . As usual , you ’ll want to seek gamy elevation and shun city lights , compact plenty of affectionate clothing , and wreak a comfortable sofa or blanket that will allow you to watch as much of the dark sky as potential without stretch out your neck .
You wo n’t want a scope to recognize the meteors , but if you have one you should by all odds bring it . Saturn is currently at opposition ( this means Earth is presently orbiting right between Saturn and the Sun , which set Saturn opposite the Sun and illuminated in the sky for much of the night ) ; with the exception of the Eta Aquarid shower in former May ( which will take seat during a Full Moon … booo ) , the next time you ’ll have a prospect to watch a meteor shower bath and see Saturn in this position wo n’t be for another five days .
The shower ’s radiant ( the region of the sky from which meteors will come along to spring up ) is , as its name paint a picture , near the constellation Lyra , but your well bet is to leave about that and just keep your eye signal straight up , celebrate in mind that shooting star can appear anywhere in the sky .
Some additional Lyrid meteor exhibitor resources
For more tips on what to bring on a stargazing expedition and how to avoid light pollution , see ourhow - to pass for last class ’s Perseids — a different shower , obviously , but the pointer still apply .
require to join local experts in observe the shower?Look up your neighborhood uranology club .
Wondering when the idealistic time to learn is for your specific geographic location?Check out NASA ’s Fluxtimator(you’ll want to change the first field to “ 6 April Lyrids , ” pick out the localization nearest you , and change the date to April 21—22 2012 ) .
muddy skies ruining your stargazing ? follow the cascade livevia NASA ’s sky cam in Huntsville , Alabamaalong with shooting star experts Dr. Bill Cooke , Danielle Moser and Rhiannon Blaauw in a alive webcast and webchat .
study more about theLyrids , including NASA ’s plan to note them from the ISS , over on SPACE.com .
refulgent viaSPACE.com
Astronomymeteor showerScienceSpace
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