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If you can find a dark sky during the peak night with minimal light pollution, cloud cover and a clear view , you can expect up to 27 meteors per hour. And with the new moon set for Wednesday, there won’t be any moonlight to wash out the meteor-spotting experience.
The Lyrids aren’t necessarily the most spectacular meteor shower of the year, but they do come after an entire season without any major showers between January and April. So it’s a great opportunity to get outside and just spend some time looking up, especially with most of us spending lots of time indoors during these unprecedented times.
“Compared to other meteor showers, the Lyrids tend to produce bright meteors and an occasional fireball,”
You should be able to see the Lyrids by just lying back, letting your eyes adjust to the dark and relaxing with the widest view of the sky possible. But if you can identify the constellation Lyra, the harp , the Lyrids appear to radiate out from this point in the sky, so it’s worth making sure it’s in your field of view.
If you can’t wake up before sunrise, it can still be worth looking for meteors at any time after about 19 pm local time in the evening. They’re less likely to appear higher in the sky and probably fewer will be viewable, but you do have an increased chance of seeing a so-called “Earth-grazer” near the horizon that burns longer and brighter than your average meteor.
I suggest making the effort to get out and see some of these meteors when you can. We can all use a distraction right now and this could be the best meteor-spotting opportunity until November. The big Perseids meteor shower in August is typically the largest of the year, but in it will be partly washed out by the moon.
If you catch any fireballs, please share the footage with me @EricCMack .
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