The Lyrid meteor shower peaks this week―here’s what you need to know
This week, the Lyrid meteor shower peaks before dawn Saturday morning.However, you will be able to see it earlier and later than that, provided the skies are clear. Figure it’s worth looking up a day, or maybe two, on either side of the peak.To review, a meteor shower is the result of the Earth passing through debris leftover from a comet. As this occurs, these tiny pieces of debris burn up in our atmosphere, and appear as “shooting stars” in the night sky.In 2017, there will be nine major meteor showers, but not all of them will provide great viewing.
Weather and the moon are the two major obstacles for viewing. The other is simply an over estimation of the number of meteors per hour. These things are not precise. A meteor shower isn’t like a rain shower—it doesn’t have a definitive beginning and end. You can start to see the meteors before the official peak, and after, there just won’t be as many per hour.Assuming you are in an area with clear skies Friday night or early Saturday morning, your next challenge is getting somewhere dark. Trying to watch a meteor shower in the middle of a city like Boston isn’t going to prove very fruitful. You still could see some of the brightest meteors, but many will be overshadowed by light pollution. Meteors appear to radiate from a central point in the sky. Depending on the comet, the radiating point is different. For the Lyrids, look northeast to find the radiant point. You don’t have to do this to see the meteors as they streak across the sky in all directions, but it’s fun to try to find the origin of them. There are some great apps to help you find the specific star closest to the point of origin.
Look to the northeast early Saturday morning to see the Lyrid meteors.
If you aren’t keen on waking up super early, or staying up very late, to see the meteors, there are other sights in the night sky. According to Sky and Telescope, Jupiter is visible in the evening sky this week.
Of course none of this matters if it’s cloudy. A storm on Friday will bring clouds and some rain, but we might see a window of clearing just in time for the peak if the storm keeps moving.
Clouds will move into the region on Thursday night with some rain showers.
You can follow David Epstein on Twitter @growingwisdom.
