Clouded out tonight? Or too much moonlight for your taste? You might see some Lyrid meteors on the night of April 22-23, too, especially since a thinner waning moon will be rising later on the morning of April 23, leaving more darkness for meteor watching.
For you who want to watch, just remember … a single meteor streaking along in a moonlit sky is also worth seeing. Keep an eye out.
Photo top of post by Mike O’Neal. He posted this shot of a Lyrid meteor on EarthSky Facebook at last year’s shower, on April 22, 2013. He wrote:
Had mostly cloudy sky, but did see some beautiful ones between the breaks.Want more about the Lyrid meteor shower in 2014? Click here.
EarthSky’s meteor shower guide for 2014.
These meteors appear to radiate from the constellation Lyra, not far from Lyra’s super-bright star Vega. But this is only a chance alignment. The Lyrids – bits and pieces from the Comet Thatcher – burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere about 100 kilometers (60 miles) overhead, while Vega lies some 25 light-years away. But you don’t have to find Vega to watch the Lyrid meteors, for these meteors shoot all across the sky.
When there is no moon to ruin the show, the Lyrids often display about 10 to 20 meteors per hour at their peak. The Lyrids are not an altogether predictable shower, however, and in rare instances can bombard the sky with close to 100 meteors per hour. About one-quarter of the swift Lyrid meteors exhibit persistent trains – ionized gas trails that glow for a few seconds after the meteor has gone.
By the way, if you’re up at dawn this week – or anything in the coming months – you’ll see something for sure. It’s a dazzling world that moonlight or even the glow of twilight can’t extinguish – the planet Venus, above your eastern horizon about one and one-half hours before sunrise at mid-northern latitudes. Venus will be somewhat low in the sky, so you’ll need an unobstructed horizon to see the third brightest celestial body in all the heavens, after the sun and moon. And don’t forget to look in the western predawn sky for the planets Mars and Saturn.
Two planets visible at nightfall; three visible before dawn
Bottom line: On the morning of April 22 – and possibly on the morning of April 23, too – Lyrid meteors streak the sky. The highest number of Lyrids usually rain down in the predawn hours before sunrise, but the moon interferes with the 2014 Lyrid display. If you want to try to catch a Lyrid meteor scooting along in the light of the moon, find a dark, safe spot and an open sky. Meteor showers, like sporting events, have spurts and lulls, so give yourself at least an hour of viewing time. And remember – although the moon may obscure some Lyrid meteors, the planet Venus will be beaming boldly in the east in the hour or so before sunrise!
The radiant of the Lyrid meteor shower
Close-up on the constellation Lyra the Harp
Get your kids interested in astronomy and the sky! Use EarthSky’s lunar calendar as a fun way to enjoy the moon phases throughout the year.
- Earthsky
