Lirid meteor showers peak on April 22nd. Here’s how to look at the night sky

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All this ends on April 22 this year with the first show of the season: the annual meteor shower in Lírid.

“These dazzling meteors are fast and bright, with a striking golden trail of dust behind them,” CNN meteorologist Judson Jones said.
Lyrids, which are best seen from the northern hemisphere, have been observed for 2,700 years, according to NASA. During its peak, this rain will have about 10 meteors per hour.

You may even notice a fireball flying through the sky or the trail of bright dust that meteors often leave behind as they traverse the Earth’s atmosphere.

As with all meteor showers, the darker the sky, the more visible the lilies will be. If you want to see them, you’ll have the best of luck outside of urban areas where city lights can obstruct your view.

“Light pollution is one of the biggest struggles when trying to see meteors and it seems to get worse every year,” Jones said.

But there is also another factor that affects light: the moon. This year, the moon will be in its crescent phase; it will be around 70% lit. Because the moon will be so bright, it is recommended to see the sky after the moon sets and before sunrise, according to EarthSky.
Between midnight and dawn, Lyrid meteors can be seen in all parts of the sky, according to the American Meteor Society. The best time to view them on April 22 will be the last hour before the start of the morning twilight: around 4-5 hours local time.
The view of the bright starry sky over the Baltic Sea, when the lilies passed in 2020.

Once you’ve decided on the location and time of viewing, come prepared with a blanket, and simply lie back, with your feet facing east, and look up at the sky. Take 30 minutes to let your eyes adjust to the darkness, without looking at the phone.

Be patient, as the AMS suggests: “Serious observers should watch for at least an hour, as numerous peaks and valleys of activity will occur.”

If your eye catches a meteor in the sky, you will notice one of the lost pieces of comet Thatcher, the source of Lyrid’s meteors. These fragments fly into our atmosphere at over 110,000 miles per hour as the Earth’s orbit intersects as it passes.

“When these pieces interact with our atmosphere, they burn to reveal the fiery, colorful streaks you can find in our night sky,” Jones said.

If you miss the meteorites this week but still want to look at the sky, see next week’s full “pink” supermoon on April 26th. Although the moon will not be pink, it will appear very bright as the supermoons are a little closer to Earth.

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This is what you can most expect in 2021.

More meteor showers

It is not necessary to wait long after the meteor shower of the lilies for the Eta aquariids to arrive, which will reach their maximum on May 5, when the moon will be 38% full. This rain looks best in the southern tropics, but will still produce average rainfall for the north of the equator.

The Milky Way is seen from Glacier Point Trailside in Yosemite National Park, California.

Delta aquariums are also best seen from the southern tropics and will peak between July 28 and 29 when the moon is 74% full.

Interestingly, another meteor shower arrives the same night: the Alpha Capricornids. Although this is a much weaker shower, it is known to produce some bright fireballs during the peak. It will be visible on both sides of the equator.

The meteor shower of the Perseids, the most popular of the year, will peak between August 11 and 12 in the northern hemisphere, when the moon is only 13% full.

Here’s the meteor shower schedule for the rest of the year, according to EarthSky’s meteor shower prospects.
  • October 8: Draconids
  • October 21: Orionids
  • From November 4 to 5: Southern Bullfighting
  • November 11-12: Northern bullfighting
  • November 17: Leonides
  • From 13 to 14 December: Geminids
  • December 22: Ursids

Solar and lunar eclipses

This year there will be two solar eclipses and two lunar eclipses, and three of these will be visible to some in North America, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac.

A total lunar eclipse will occur on May 26, best visible to those in western North America and Hawaii from 4:46 a.m. ET to 9:51 a.m. ET.

On June 10, there will be an annular solar eclipse, visible in northern and northeastern North America, from 4:12 a.m. to 9:11 p.m. The sun will not be completely blocked by the moon, so be sure to wear eclipsed glasses to safely see this event.

A partial lunar eclipse will be seen on November 19 and sky observers in North America and Hawaii will be able to see it between 1 a.m. and 7:06 a.m. (ET).

And the year ends with a total solar eclipse on December 4th. It will not be seen in North America, but those in the Falkland Islands, the southern tip of Africa, Antarctica, and southeastern Australia will be able to see it.

Visible planets

Sky observers will have multiple opportunities to detect the planets in our sky during certain mornings and evenings throughout 2021, according to the Farmer’s Almanac planetary guide.

It is possible to see most of these with the naked eye, with the exception of distant Neptune, but binoculars or a telescope will provide the best view.

Mercury will look like a bright star in the morning sky from June 27 to July 16 and from October 18 to November 1. It will shine in the night sky from May 3 to May 24, from August 31 to September 21 and from November 29 to December 31. .

Venus, our closest neighbor to the solar system, will appear in the western sky on the evening of May 24 to December 31. It is the second brightest object in our sky after the moon.

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Mars makes its reddish appearance in the morning sky between November 24 and December 31 and will be visible in the night sky between January 1 and August 22.

Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, is the third brightest object in our sky. It will be shown in the morning sky between February 17 and August 19. Look for it on the nights of August 20 to December 31, but it will be brighter from August 8 to September 2.

Saturn’s rings are only visible through a telescope, but the planet itself can still be seen with the naked eye on the mornings of February 10 to August 1 and the afternoons of August 2 to December 31. . It will be brighter between August 1 and 4.

Binoculars or a telescope will help you detect the greenish glow of Uranus in the mornings from May 16 to November 3 and in the afternoons from January 1 to April 12 and from November 4 to December 31, but at the brightest time between August 28th and December 31st.

And Neptune, our farthest neighbor from the solar system, will be visible through a telescope in the mornings of March 27 to September 13 and the evenings of September 14 to December 31. It will be in the brightest time between July 19 and November 8.

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