![]() As the Lyrid prime time in the final predawn hours will be affected by the bright Moon the most, the alternative is to make the best of the darker evening hours. The best time to see the Lyrids will be evening hours of April 22 and early morning hours of April 23. The sky will thus still be significantly less bright than if the Moon was higher. Fortunately the Moon is in the constellation Ophiuchus and remains low in the sky, particularly for observers at higher northern latitudes. This reduces the overall number of visible meteors. Bright moonlight hides fainter meteors, so only brighter ones can be seen. Unfortunately, a waning gibbous Moon (86% full) will rise in late evening, around 11:30 pm, and brighten the sky considerably. Under a dark sky that would mean about 10-15 Lyrid meteors per hour. No enhanced activity is currently expected. As many as 500-1000 meteors per hour could be seen! That is about ten times as strong as the Perseid meteor shower! Additional strong returns with over 100 meteors per hour were seen in 1922, 19.Ī normal return of the Lyrids is expected this year. The first well-observed Lyrid outburst was in 1803: there were so many Lyrids that people of Richmond, Virginia were alarmed at the spectacle unfolding in the sky. and 1136 A.D., when Korean chronicles note that “many stars flew from the northeast”. Additional strong showers were seen in 15 B.C. As far back as 687 B.C., Chinese astronomers spotted a strong return of the Lyrids. The historic record is spotted with strong returns of the Lyrid meteor shower. A brilliant Lyrid fireball shoots down the Milky Way. ![]()
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