(There are also random, ‘sporadic’ meteors that can occur at any time on any night, and are not related to distinct meteor showers. Although there is an average of 30 years between these outbursts, that's only an average; the actual number of years between the events varies, Cooke said.Lyrid meteors come in fast — though not as fast as the Leonids, which peak in November, Cooke said. You don't need any kind of special equipment to see the meteors; just look up at the dark sky, be patient and enjoy the show. Lyrid meteors are little pieces of Comet Thatcher, a long-period comet that orbits the sun about once every 415 years. We've received your submission.Would you like to receive desktop browser notifications about breaking news and other major stories?The meteors’ path springs from the star Vega, within their namesake constellation Lyra the Harp, which will be almost directly overhead by 4 a.m. Wednesday morning. That's why they happen around the same time every year and appear to originate from specific points in the sky.
The Lyrid meteor shower of 2020 will have a period of activity from April 16 to April 30. The Lyrid meteor shower will be in full effect in some regions — thanks to clear skies and a new moon — on Tuesday night. The 2020 Lyrid meteor shower occurs 14 – 30 April, with peak activity in the very early hours of 22 April.
The annual Lyrid meteor shower peaks overnight tonight (April 21) and into the early hours of Wednesday (April 22), less than a day before the new moon. (Comet Thatcher's most recent perihelion, or closest approach to the sun, was in 1861.
The radiant is where the meteors appear to be coming from. However, the last time this happened was in 1982, when hundreds of meteors per hour were seen.
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The Lyrid meteors streak across the sky between April 16 and April 30, so skywatchers have a chance to see them during that window, weather permitting.The Lyrids are one of the oldest recorded showers, Cooke said, with observations going back to 687 B.C. Advertisement The celestial display is expected to peak on the night of 21 April and will be visible until the early morning of 22 April.
Pieces of debris left in the comet's wake, however, make an appearance every year. The Lyrid meteor shower will be in full effect in some regions — thanks to clear skies and a new moon — on Tuesday night.
Mid-April, start looking for the Lyrid meteors, which are active from April 14 – 30. In the same year as Weiss’ discovery, astronomer Johann Gottfried Galle confirmed that the Lyrids are the cosmic breadcrumbs deposited by Comet Thatcher, which won’t pass through Earth’s inner orbit again until 2276. Meteor showers occur when the Earth crosses the path of a comet, colliding with a trail of comet crumbs. The Lyrid meteor shower will start tonight and will see one shooting star flash across the sky every four to six minutes.
The Observatory said: "The Lyrid meteor shower is a burst of meteor activity occurring around mid to late April. This year, the Lyrid Meteor Shower will peak on the evening of April 21 and the early hours of April 22.