In addition to one Super Moon and the warming of the spring air, April arrives with new space rocks. From April 16, Earth will traverse the tail of comet C / 1861 G1 Thatcher, which will see Lyrid’s meteor shower scrape through the night sky. Of course, this is not the same as looking up to see the moon approaching us, but rather an exercise in patience, as meteors are much more fleeting than other celestial phenomena.
Here’s what you need to know about lilies and how to see them later this month.
What are lilies?
The lilies take their name from the constellation of Lyra, which is “associated with the myth of the Greek musician and poet Orpheus.” according to Constellation Guide. The constellation hangs in the northern sky just below the star Vega, which is visible in the summer sky forming an “asterism known as the Summer Triangle”, along with the stars Deneb and Altair, Space.com notes.
Lyrids are a welcome spectacle for meteorite hunters who are hungry for their favorite celestial views from January to mid-April. But ein April, when the Earth passes through the remains left by the tail of the Thatcher C / 1861 G1, the lilies run across the sky.
For EarthSky, the lilies are an annual event that is usually active for about nine days. This year, the peak is expected to occur on April 19 or so. Here’s how experts work:
The lilies are active every year from approximately 16 to 25 April. In 2021, we expect the shower to take steam from the night of Monday, April 19, probably reaching the peak hours of Thursday, April 22 the next morning. 23) It can also be good, if you are game.
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Generally speaking, meteors will be active between sunset and sunrise during this time period.
A useful tip: locate the radiant point
The lilies will whet your appetite for meteors, but only fair. They are not exactly a frenzy, as they usually appear only at currents between 10 and 15 per hour. (Sometimes they can overwhelm stains from the sky in groups of about 100 per hour, but it is rar).
One way to make sure you really capture the lilies is to locate Vega, the bright star that illuminates the path of meteors to the fullest. According to EarthSky, everything is treated when the radiant point (in this case, Vega) increases. You can locate Vega if “look northeast at dusk to find a bright blue star over the northeast horizon.” When it comes to people in the northern hemisphere, it is usually between nine and 10 p.m. local time. If you’re in the southern hemisphere, your chances of catching the show at full brightness depend on the time of getting up (or the delay).
As Earth Sky explains:
Because the radiant point of this shower is so north of the sky dome, the star Vega only rises hours before dawn. It will be lower in the sky for you than for us further north of the globe, when dawn dawns. That is why you will see fewer meteors from Lírid. However, you may see some of them.
The same protocol applies when creating your own best conditions for trapping meteors. Avoid light pollution, look up to the north, and welcome the first flaming space rocks of 2021.