The Lyrid Meteor Shower is activated every year between April 16 and 25. In 2019, the peak of this rain, which tends to occur in the form of a burst, is expected for the early morning of April 22 to 23, under the light of a bright waning gibbous moon, very close to the full moon, which will imply a luminosity above 85% (so the conditions will not be ideal to contemplate it).
For this reason, should we ignore their observation? As Molière would say, “The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it” , so we invite you to give this meteor shower a chance despite the phase of the Moon, especially since we haven’t counted for months. with a great shower of stars. Moonlight shouldn’t limit your enthusiasm.
No matter where you are on Earth, the most meteors tend to fall during the hours before sunrise.
Practical tips
Learn about the radiant point of this shower. If you trace the paths of all the Lyrid meteors backwards, they appear to radiate from the constellation Lyra, near the bright star Vega. This is just a random alignment, as these meteors burn up in the atmosphere at about 100 km. Meanwhile, Vega lies trillions of times farther 25 light-years away. However, it is thanks to this radiant that the meteor shower takes the name Lyrid.
But, in 2019, the moon will rise before sunrise, too. So this year try to look at the sky at night. There will be a brief window between the time the radiant rises in mid-afternoon and the moonrise around midnight. You may see some meteors during these hours of the night, and the night hours in particular represent the best time to catch long-lasting, slow meteors traveling horizontally across the sky. So it will be easier to see them before midnight.
Always remember to gaze at the night sky away from the city lights.
Stand in the shadow of the moon and let the darkness envelop you so you can better observe the sky.
In a moonless sky, you might see 10 to 20 meteors per hour at the peak of the shower. How many will be seen this year under the moonlight? Who knows…
Interesting facts about the Lyrid
The Lyrid rain is quite particular, rather unpredictable. For example, in 1982, American observers saw a burst of nearly 100 Lyrid meteors per hour; the Japanese saw about 100 meteors per hour in 1945, and Greece saw that number in 1922. For now, no spectacular showers are forecast for 2019, but you never know.
About a quarter of Lyrid meteors leave persistent streaks; a trail of ionized gas that glows for a few seconds after the meteor has passed.
The Lyrid meteor shower has the distinction of being among the oldest of the known meteor showers. The records date back about 2,700 years. The ancient Chinese are said to have observed that the Lyrid meteors fell as rain in 687 BC. That period of time in ancient China, by the way, corresponds to what is known as the spring and autumn period (about 771 to 476 BC), which tradition associates with the Chinese teacher and philosopher. Confucius , one of the first to defend the phrase: “Do not do to others what you do not want them to do to you.”
Comet Thatcher (C / 1861 G1) is the source of these meteors . Every year at the end of April, our planet Earth crosses the orbital path of this comet. We have no images because its orbit around the sun is approximately 415 years. Comet Thatcher last visited the inner solar system in 1861, before the photographic process became widespread. This comet is not expected to return until the year 2276. Chunks thrown by this comet cover its orbit and bombard the Earth’s upper atmosphere at 177,000 km / h.
Will you go out to see them?
In summary, remember that, according to the National Geographic Institute, 2019 will not be a good year for the observation of Lyrids, but we still encourage you to plan an entertaining and cool night of meteor hunting.
