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Get ready, sky watchers. You can start marking your calendar for upcoming meteor showers, as April begins a more active period for skywatchers in the Northern Hemisphere.
After a long lull at the beginning of the year – when Quadrantid meteor shower It peaked just after New Year’s, and little else followed – meteor activity finally picked up again, producing two showers as the month began.
The first meteor shower is the Lyres, which begins on April 14 and continues until the end of the month. This is a relatively small meteor shower fueled by comet C/1861 G1, also known as Thatcher after its discoverer, A.E. Thatcher, in 1861. It is a long-period comet and takes 415.5 years to orbit the Sun.
The Lyrids meteor shower will peak April 21-22 and will produce 15 to 20 meteors per hour under ideal conditions. per American Meteor Societythe peak should occur on the evening of April 22, so if you can only make it one of the two nights, the second night should be the better viewing experience.
The second meteor shower that begins in April is Eta Aquaridus. This meteor shower begins on April 19 and extends for more than a month, ending on May 28. This is the strongest of the meteor showers, with an expected peak of about 50 meteors per hour, depending on where you view it from. The Eta Aquaridus shower is known for its fast meteors and persistent tails that stick around a little longer after the meteor disappears.
It is fueled by Comet 1P/Halley, the same comet that fuels the Orionid meteor shower every October. It should peak around May 5-6. The further south you go, the more meteors you can expect to see, and vice versa the further north you go. The best place to view these meteor showers is in the tropics.
The meteors from the Lyra meteor shower will appear to come from the constellation Lyra, which rises in the eastern sky during April.
How to see the lyres and eta aliquots
Meteor showers come with a built-in trick to finding them. They are named after the constellations in which meteors appear. This point of origin, known as the radiant, is where you want to look.
The Lyrids meteor shower originates from the constellation Lyra, which is close to the larger constellation Hercules. Both rise from the eastern sky shortly after around 11 p.m. local time. It will then follow a similar path toward the sun, moving overhead before setting in the west. Sunrise occurs long before the sun actually sets, so if you’re waking up early to view these planets, you’ll want to look high into the western sky.
Meteors from the constellation Aquarius will appear to originate from the constellation Aquarius, and can be seen on the eastern horizon a few hours before dawn during the months of April and May.
The Eta Aquariids shower is difficult to see. It originates from the constellation Aquarius, which spends most of the night of May 5-6 below the eastern horizon. The constellation rises around 3 a.m. local time and will barely break the horizon until sunrise a few hours later. If you go out to see the eta Aquariids, get up high and face east.
If you’re having trouble finding constellations, your best option is to use a sky map app like StarWalk (Android and iOS) or using web tools such as Sky map for Stellarium. These tools can help you determine where the towers are located. To see a meteor shower, all you really need is a general direction, but there’s no harm in knowing how to find the constellation.
Tips for watching meteor showers
the Tip for watching meteor showers It’s the same, no matter how big or small your shower is. The biggest advantage you can give yourself is to stay away from light pollution as much as possible. This means leaving the city and suburbs behind in favor of greener, darker pastures.
The moon can greatly affect viewing. This won’t be a problem for the Lyrids as the Moon is expected to be about a quarter full during the Lyrids’ peak. Viewers of Eta Aquariids aren’t so lucky because the moon will be approximately 80% full that night, which will result in significant light pollution. The American Meteor Society says the showers could peak at 50 meteors per hour, but as the moon approaches full, people can expect closer to 10.
Unlike light pollution, the advice is pretty simple. Make sure to get out early so your eyes can adjust, and avoid using any bright lights that may affect your night vision. Since meteor shower viewing can take several hours, be sure to dress appropriately for the weather and abstain from alcohol, as it acts as a vasodilator and can cause you to lose body heat more quickly on cool evenings.
You won’t need any equipment because meteors are visible with the naked eye. Telescopes and binoculars will reduce your field of view, which may cause you to not see the meteors.