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You may not be able to see the moon in the sky tonight, but if you look at the dark and clear sky long enough, you can catch some “shooting stars”.
Lyrid’s annual meteor shower peaks tonight (April 21) and into the early hours of Wednesday (April 22), less than a day before the new moon. Without a dazzling moonlight obstructing the view, sky watchers will get a great view of the Lyrids this year, weather permitting.
From a clear, dark sky, observers in the northern hemisphere can expect to see 10-20 meteors per hour during the peak of the rain. Because the rain is active from mid to late April, some Lyrid meteorites may appear before and after the peak, but tonight will be your best chance to see them.
Related: Lyrid Meteor Shower 2020: when, where and how to watch it
The peak of the shower will last a few hours, but peak activity is expected to occur around 2 a.m. EDT (0600 GMT) on Wednesday, according to the Observer Manual of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. That’s approximately 20 hours before the moon reaches its new phase at 10:26 a.m. EDT (0226 GMT). That little sliver of an almost new moon will still not be visible in the night sky, because the moon will be below the horizon. In New York City, for example, the moon sets at 6:23 p.m. local time tonight and gets up again at 5:50 a.m. in the morning.
To see the Lyrids, find a dark sky away from light pollution and look up, ideally while lying on your back, so as not to strain your neck. Lyrical meteors will appear to originate from a point in the sky on the boundary between the constellations Hercules and Lyra (home of the bright star Vega). This apparent point of origin, known as the radiant meteor shower, will be in the northeast after sunset and almost directly in the hours before sunrise.
Once you have located the radiant, do not stare at that place overnight. Longer streaks tend to appear farther from the shower radiant, so you can miss the best meteorites if your eyes are glued to that singular spot all night long (also, focus on a single spot in the dark for so long could tire your eyes).
Therefore, since lying on the ground is more comfortable and will give you the best view of the entire sky, we suggest you relax and unwind to take full advantage of this brilliant and cosmic event.
Editor’s Note: If you take a great Lyrid Meteor Shower photo you’d like to share for a possible story or image gallery, send photos, comments, and your name and viewing location to [email protected].
Email Hanneke Weitering at [email protected] or follow her @hannekescience. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and in Facebook.
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