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In the northern hemisphere, the show will be brighter, but the skies over Brazil will also be the scene of the show that can be seen in much of the planet between Tuesday and Wednesday: the Lyrid meteor shower, which returns annually this month. Here, it will look best in the northern and northeastern regions, with its peak at 2:00 a.m. on the 22nd.
With the social isolation imposed due to the covid-19 pandemic, cities are less bright, which should favor the observation of the phenomenon (do not forget to turn off the lights in the house). In the first hours of Tuesday to Wednesday, it will be possible to observe 15 to 20 meteors per hour (this in the north and northeast; in the south, this number should drop to less than ten).
This is not the brightest meteor shower on the annual astronomical calendar: its apparent magnitude is +2 (this astronomical measurement is inversely proportional to the given number; the full moon, for example, has a magnitude of -13). However, some brighter meteorites, the so-called “Lyrid fireballs”, can cross the sky leaving a bright trail and even smoke trails in the sky.
Look in the sky at the star Vega and the Lira Constellation; In that space quadrant the Lyrids will appear.Source: NASA / Carnegie Las Campanas Observatory / Yuri Beletsky
Astronomers recommend that anyone wishing to observe the meteor shower that awaits the largest star in the Lira Constellation, Vega, “rise to the horizon.” Peak hours, according to NASA, will happen between 2 a.m. and 4:30 a.m. It will be New Moon, that is to say, without its brightness that tarnishes that of the Lyrids.
Daughters of thatcher
Each meteor shower has a radiant (the point from which it seems to come, an illusion due to its parallel trajectory to Earth) that gives it its name, such as the Alpha Centaurids (radiants in the Centaur constellation), Eta Aquarids (radiant in the constellation Aquarius) or the famous Perseids (radiant in the constellation Perseus). Lipids appear to originate from the Lira Constellation, but they are, as in the case of almost all meteor showers, the trail of dust left behind by a comet, in this case, Thatcher (or C / 1861 G1).
In accordance with International Meteorite Organization (IMO) Meteorites are attracted to Earth’s gravitational pull and, as they enter the atmosphere, are incinerated, glowing and leaving a bright trail in the sky (the popular “shooting stars”). Pieces from Comet Thatcher bombard Earth’s upper atmosphere at 177,000 km / h.
Unlike the Quadrantids (which occur in January and have a short performance in the world of heavenly entertainment), the Lyrids have a regular and constant presence on the three days that appear in the sky. You don’t need any equipment to see them: just patience and a little help from the Internet. For more information, see the interactive date and time meteor map (be sure to post your location on the website).
