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Astronomers will appreciate these April showers.
The night skies in the northern hemisphere will glow with meteors this month, while the annual Lyrid meteor shower is dramatically showing up – with 10 to 20 meteors per hour at its peak.
"The number of meteors can vary and very rarely" storm ", but on a very dark and moonless night, there are usually up to 20 good meteors per hour," according to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
The Lyrid meteor shower would have been around for 2700 years, making it one of the oldest meteor showings ever recorded. It hits the Earth around April 16th and should last until April 28th.
Here's all you need to know about the starry show.
How are meteors formed?
Manish Mamtani
(A meteor forms when a meteoroid enters the Earth's atmosphere.)
A meteor forms when a meteoroid, a type of space rock that comes off an asteroid, a rocky body orbiting the sun, enters the earth's atmosphere. As soon as the space debris intersects, they break down into what scientists call a "meteor", which vaporizes and turns into a brilliant trail of light in the sky.
"Because of their appearance, these rays of light, some call the shooting stars of meteors," NASA says in an online blog post. "But scientists know that meteors are not stars at all – they are just pieces of rock!"
What's a Lyrid meteor, in particular?
Lyrid meteors are small pieces of rock that have separated from comet Thatcher.
(Brian Emfinger)
Lyrid meteors are small pieces of rock that stand out from comet Thatcher, "a long-lived comet that revolves around the sun about once every 415 years," reports Space.com.
The Earth crosses the path of the Thatcher comet every year to April, causing the "rain" of meteors falling from the sky as it collides "with a trail of comet crumbs," says the space site.
"If you see a meteor … notice it's leaving a persistent train, that is, a trail of ionized gas that stays on a few seconds after the meteor's passage." About a quarter of the meteors from Lyrid leave persistent trains, "EarthSky suggests.
What's a "burst" meteor?
Sometimes a meteor shower turns into a storm, dropping up to 1,000 meteors an hour. This event is however rare and often difficult to predict.
"People say that there is some periodicity, but the data does not corroborate it," NASA's meteorite expert Bill Cooke told Space.com.
When can I see the Lyrid meteor shower?
Bill Allen
(Catch the Lyrid meteor at its peak on April 22.)
You can spot meteors in the sky until April 25, although the rain rises just before dawn – from 12 pm to 5 pm – April 23, according to EarthSky.
How can I watch it?
Unlike solar eclipses, which require special equipment to visualize the astrological event, you do not need anything to spot this celestial event.
"Find a dark place, get comfortable, bring extra blankets to stay warm and let your eyes adjust to the dark sky," suggests NASA. "A comfortable chaise longue is an excellent seat, just like a blanket lying on your back, your eyes scanning the sky."
Meteors will begin to form around the brightest star of the Lyra constellation, which has the shape of a harp. However, NASA recommends focusing on a point of the sky far from the constellation, as they "will appear longer and more spectacular from this point of view".
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