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NEW YORK (AP) — This year’s Lyrid meteor shower promises an enhanced spectacle, courtesy of a faint crescent moon, according to NASA. Skywatchers can anticipate seeing between 10 to 20 meteors per hour lighting up the spring sky as the celestial event reaches its peak from Tuesday night into Wednesday morning.
While this astronomical display will be visible worldwide, the most optimal views are expected in the Northern Hemisphere. Fortunately, the crescent moon will set before the meteor shower begins, ensuring an unobstructed view of the night sky.
Meteor showers occur when Earth travels through trails of debris left by celestial bodies. As these particles enter the atmosphere, they heat up and create the bright streaks we commonly refer to as shooting stars.
Despite their name, most meteor showers originate from comet debris. The Lyrid shower is the result of remnants from comet Thatcher, an icy celestial body.
“We only get a glimpse of the actual comet once every 415 years. However, we encounter the dust particles it leaves behind at the same time each year,” explained Maria Valdes, a meteorite expert affiliated with the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
A handful of random meteors are visible on any given night. At predictable times throughout the year, enough can be seen at once to make a more exciting spectacle. The Lyrids are one of the oldest recorded meteor showers, with reported sightings dating back over 2,500 years.
To see the Lyrids, go outside after midnight and venture away from tall buildings and city lights. It’ll take at least 15 to 30 minutes for your eyes to adjust to the nighttime sky and remember to resist looking at your phone.
Bring lawn chairs or a sleeping bag and be patient until the meteors reveal themselves. They’ll appear to come from the constellation Lyra in the northeastern sky.
“A meteor looks like a trail of light in the sky. What you tend to detect is the motion against the background,” said astronomer Lisa Will with San Diego City College.
The next major shower is soon approaching in early May: the Eta Aquarids, debris from Halley’s comet.
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