LYRID METEOR SHOWER peaks this weekend

From Space Weather:

LYRID METEOR SHOWER: The annual Lyrid meteor shower peaks this weekend on the night of April 21-22 when Earth passes through a stream of debris from ancient Comet Thatcher. Usually the shower is mild (10-20 meteors per hour) but unmapped filaments of dust in the comet’s tail sometimes trigger outbursts ten times stronger. This year’s peak coincides with a new Moon, so lunar interference will not be a problem.  The promise of a good display has prompted NASA to plan an unusual 3D meteor photography experiment combining observations from the ground, a research balloon, and the International Space Station.  More information, observing tips, and live audio from a meteor radar are available on today’s edition of http://SpaceWeather.com

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
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4 Comments

  1. ejcmartin says:

    Thank you Father. Just after reading this post I stepped outside to take a peek on a rare clear night in this part of the world and witnessed one of those meteors that leave a bit of a flaming trail. After witnessing numerous meteor showers ove the years I still find it amazing. My fondest memory is heading out to see the Perseids on the coastal cliffs of the Newfoundland with my wife. The meteors were good but what was really cool was hearing the whales spouting in the pitch black below us.

  2. Supertradmum says:

    Got up at 1:00 here and the sky was partly cloudy over the exact placing of the Lyrids. Did not see one meteor in 45 minutes of hopeful waiting for the sky to clear. However, I could see the lights in Dunkirk clearly, as the sky was clear over la Manche.

  3. Supertradmum says:

    Just came in after 45 minutes outside in 37 farenheit, watching the Lyrids. Saw five very large meteors, including a blue one. Light pollution is bad here.

  4. Supertradmum says:

    Should have mentioned it is 2:00 am here. On phone texting.

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