A Major Meteor Shower Will be Visible From Halton This Weekend

Published April 17, 2018 at 10:50 pm

If you’re willing to stay up super late or wake up super early to catch something amazing in the sky, you might be excited to know that there will be a stunning meteor shower hitting the skies soon

If you’re willing to stay up super late or wake up super early to catch something amazing in the sky, you might be excited to know that there will be a stunning meteor shower hitting the skies soon.

According to EarthSky, the annual Lyrid meteor shower is happening from April 16-25 this year, and it’s set to peak on the morning of April 22.

When is the best time to watch? 

“No matter where you are on Earth, expect the greatest number of meteors to fall during the few hours before dawn,” reads the report.

Viewers can expect to see 10-20 meteors per hour.

This meteor shower has some major clout – it’s actually one of the oldest meteor showers, dating back about 2,700 years.

Saturday’s is going to be a waxing moon, but it’ll likely set before peak viewing hours so it won’t interfere much with the shower, reads the report.

EarthSky notes that the Lyrid meteor shower is composed of debris from Comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher.

“Comet Thatcher last visited the inner solar system in 1861, before the photographic process became widespread. This comet isn’t expected to return until the year 2276.”

According to Accuweather, the Lyrids are mostly microscopic and fall at a slow 100,000 mph (approx. 170,000 km/h), but they can also look like bright balls of fire and leave smoky trails in their wake across the sky.

“To maximize the number of meteors able to be seen, onlookers should head to a dark area where light pollution is minimal,” reads Accuweather’s report. “Even in the darkest areas away from city lights, the moon will bring some natural light pollution to the sky during the first part of the night.”

You might even be able to catch the Lyrids on Friday night or Sunday night, so it might be best to keep your eyes peeled all weekend.

Are you going to watch the Lyrids this weekend?

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