 |
 |
 |
 |
April has one major meteor shower, the Lyrids. The Lyrids peak on April 22 but some may be seen from April 19th through the 24th. This shower peaks at about 12 meteors per hour, or about one per every five minutes on average.
The Lyrids are caused by the debris expelled by comet Thatcher as it moves through its orbit. Comet Thatcher is a long period comet that visits the inner solar system every 415 years or so. Despite this long period, there is activity every year at this time and, because of this fact, it's theorized that comet Thatcher must have been
visiting the solar system for quite a long time. Over this long period, the debris left with each pass into the inner solar system has been pretty evenly distributed along the path of its orbit.
This material isn't quite evenly distributed however, as there have been some years with outbursts of higher than usual meteor activity. The most recent of these outbursts occurred in 1982, with others occurring in 1803, 1922, and 1945. These outbursts are unpredictable and one could even occur this year.
This year, the Lyrids are scheduled to peak April 22nd, but the 35% illuminated Moon will rise around 2 or 3 AM, so you'll want to observe between 11 PM on the 21st until the rising Moon washes out your view.
I have created a low volume email list for advance notification of upcoming meteor showers and unusual astronomical events; especially those that can be observed with the unaided eye, binoculars, or a small telescope. To join, simply enter your email address below and click on the join now button.
|
|
|
|
Return to Meteor Showers in 2006-2007
Return to Celestial Wanderings
Send me e-mail StarWanderer