On the night from Saturday to Sunday, it’s worth looking at the sky. You will see falling stars. The Lyrids, a meteor shower associated with Comet Thatcher (C/1861 G1), will appear.
Tonight we will see the maximum of the Lyrid meteor shower. Within an hour, 10 to 18 “shooting stars” can appear in the sky. In exceptional cases, even 100 of them have been recorded. The best time to observe them will be 3.06.
Meteor showers are created when the Earth passes through clouds of rock debris left behind by comets. In the case of the Lyrids, this comet is called Thatcher’s Comet (C/1861 G1). Astronomers first noticed it in 1861. It takes about 415 years to make one orbit around the sun.
The Lyrid swarm can be observed in the sky every year between April 16 and 25.
Night of shooting stars – how to admire the Lyrids?
The Lyrid meteor shower has the distinction of being one of the oldest recorded meteor showers. Records of this phenomenon go back some 2,700 years.
>>> READ: Meteor shower – what is this phenomenon?
This is what the lyrid rain looked like in 2015On April 22 and 23, the Earth found itself in a stream of debris from comet Thatcher, which creates a swarm of meteors – lyrids, whose radiant is located near Vega in the constellation Lyra. Usually in April there are no more than 10-20 meteors per hour. However, sometimes, when the debris density is greater, the frequency of meteors entering the atmosphere increases, creating a phenomenon known as a meteor shower.ScienceAtNASA
You don’t need a telescope or binoculars to watch the shower of shooting stars. However, it is worth observing this phenomenon from a dark place, away from city lights. It’s a good idea to let your eyes adjust to the dark for at least 20-30 minutes first.
By the way, we would like to remind you to dress appropriately for the weather and make sure you are comfortable, especially if you plan to stay outside for a long time. A blanket or a comfortable chair will be useful – watching meteors can require patience.
Meteor showers can only be seen in good weather, fortunately, that’s what it promises to be. The forecast shows that it will be sunny with no rain. In the morning there will be an increase in cloudiness only in the west of the country.
Meteorites and meteorsZiemienowicz Adam/PAP
timeanddate.com, tvnmeteo.pl, abc7.com, earthsky.org
Main photo source: Shutterstock