How to watch the Lyrid meteor shower before the full moon - The Washington Post

Celebrate this Earth Day with a celestial show in our night skies. The Lyrid meteor shower, active from April 15 to 29, will peak April 22 with about 18 meteors per hour. The meteors don’t typically have long trains but can produce bright flashes, known as fireballs.

The Lyrids are fast and bright meteors, moving around 29 miles per second. This year’s display, though, may be slightly more difficult to see because of a nearly full moon. April’s full moon, called the pink moon after the blooming moss pink plants in the eastern United States, will appear on the evening of April 23 and will be 96 percent full.

The best views will appear in the Northern Hemisphere and after midnight, with the richest display before dawn. In the late evening, though, sky watchers could see a rare bright, long-lasting meteor traveling horizontally across the sky. Only about a quarter of the Lyrids will leave a train of glow in their wake, but they create a memorable show.

Meteors are leftover bits from broken asteroids and comets, which leave a dusty trail in their wake as they pass the sun, according to NASA. Each year, Earth passes through these debris trails. The comet bits collide with the atmosphere and disintegrate to create fiery and colorful streaks in our sky.

The Lyrid shower comes from comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher, which was discovered on April 5, 1861, by amateur astronomer A.E. Thatcher. The comet takes 415.5 years to orbit the sun one time. It is one of the oldest known meteor showers, observed for at least 2,700 years.

Moonlight permitting, the Lyrids should be easy to spot. They will be visible near the constellation Lyra, which resembles a harp and inspired the name of the meteor shower. Specifically, the meteors will appear to radiate from the star Vega, which is not only the brightest star in the constellation but one of the brightest stars in the night sky.

Because of the moon, the number of visible meteors may be lower than normal — but take note of the speed and colors instead. Sky watchers should look for Lyrids away from the Lyra constellation for the best perspectives, according to NASA. They will seem short closer to the constellation but will appear longer and more stunning farther away.

To counteract the moon’s bright light, you may want to find shadows cast by the moon, according to the EarthSky website. Instead of standing under a wide-open sky, look for a plateau area with high mountains or a row of trees that can block out the moon. Of course, it always helps to make sure you’re away from city lights.

In addition to Lyrids, the Eta Aquarids meteor shower is active until May 27, peaking from May 4 to 5. This meteor shower is stronger than Lyrids but is best seen from the southern tropics. It produces impressive trains but few fireballs. The peak of this meteor shower is expected to be especially impressive this year because of low moonlight and interactions of particles with Jupiter, according to the American Meteor Society.

The most popular meteor shower of the year, Perseids, will peak in August. During that shower, sky watchers can see 50 to 75 meteors per hour at peak. The meteors are very colorful and leave persistent trains, and relatively little moonlight will make a good show.

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