Friday, April 22, 2016

Lyrid meteor shower peaks tonight, after midnight

The shower averages about 20 per hour, although they are notoriously unpredictable.



Lyrid meteors are caused by debris shed by Comet Thatcher on its sojourns around the sun and appear to emanate from the Lyra constellation. However, they can show up anywhere in the sky, so don't worry about focusing on any particular spot.

NASA's network of all-sky meteor cameras have already detected nearly a dozen Lyrid fireballs, like this one over Alabama, easily seen despite the glare of the full Moon.

Simply go outside around or after midnight tonight (the best meteor viewing generally occurs in the pre-dawn hours), lie back and look up, giving your eyes plenty of time to adjust to the dark. Lyrid meteors are caused by debris shed by Comet Thatcher on its sojourns around the sun and appear to emanate from the Lyra constellation. However, they can show up anywhere in the sky, so don't worry about focusing on any particular spot. 

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