The month of April brings us the Lyrid Meteor Shower which will reach its peak the evening of April 21-22.
This meteor shower is made up of the
remains of the Comet Thatcher and could produce up to 10-20 meteors per hour. Your
best viewing opportunities begin late night tonight until sunrise on
tomorrow When they're expected to peak. They'll hang around to a lesser extent for the remainder of the week.
Lyrid meteors radiate from near the brighter star Vega in the constellation Lyra the Harp. The key is knowing that the constellation rises in the northeast sky before midnight. Look
to the northeast for these shooting stars to originate from the radiant from midnight until dawn. While not as impressive as the Perseids (last August) the Lyrids don't require anything but the naked eye in order to enjoy them. They're also known to produce fireballs, which a impressively bright meteors characterized by a leaving a glowing trail of ionized gas in their wake.
Moonset is around midnight so you can count on dark skies. Fingers-crossed for good viewing conditions.....
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