When the sky is clear, make sure that you are looking for Lyrid Meteor on this Easter weekend after April.
Spring in the northern hemisphere brings the promise for the lyrids, the first good meteor shower of the season. The weather only warms up in April, but we are not yet in summer and wait late hours that the darkness falls. As a bonus, several other showers are active at the end of April to include the ETA aquariids and maybe a newly discovered shower for Constellation Puppis.
First of all, the reliable April lyri from the musical constellation of Lyra the Leier are. The exact beam for the shower is eight degrees southwest of the bright star Vega, right on the border between Lyra/Hercules. In fact, the radiation is only about five degrees north of the so -called tip of Sun Way's Way, in the direction in which our solar system is handling in the Milky Way.
The rising radiant of April Lyrid Meteor. Credit: Stellarium.
Metors were once seen as strict atmospheric phenomena. In fact, for this reason, they share the same Greek root “Meteoros (high in the air)” with science and study of weather and atmospheric phenomena, meteorology. It was only in the mid -19th century that the researchers realized that material from space could beat the earth and that the science of meteor policy was born.
Today we know that dust streams of comets are responsible for meteors. When the earth cuts an old stream that is determined by a comet, a meteor shoes occurs. For this reason, the prices for meteors get past the local midnight when the spot of the planet on which they stand moves in the way of an oncoming shower.
The orbit of the comet G1 Thatcher through the inner solar system. Credit: NASA/JPL
The source of the lyrids is the Comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher. In a 415-year orbit, the comet was seen in modern times exactly once, in 1861. In most years, 15-20 lyrids can be seen per hour, but the shower generated to small outbreaks, as can be seen in 1803 and 1922, 100 and 1922. The lyrids are also notorious producers of fireballs. The shower's records also return in 687 BC. BC back to the Chinese accounts.
Prospects for the lyrids in 2025
The good news is that the bright moon is largely in the way, compared to the 2025 lyrids, since it increases a 40% illuminated, decreasing crescent at around 3:30 a.m. The Zenithe hourly rates (the ZHR, the number of meteors you would expect under ideal conditions) for the lyrids are expected to reach 18.
A 2021 Lyrid meteor from Oxfordshire, Great Britain. Credit: Mary Mcintyre.
The 2025 Lyrids have a short summit, which is centered on April 21 (11:00 p.m. Edt on the evening of April 20) at 3:00 a.m. and favored North America a few hours later.
In contrast, the ETA aquariids have a wide climax, which is centered on May 19 to 28 on May 5.
The radiation for the ETA aquariide, which looks east on May 5. Credit: Stellarium
The source of the ETA Aquariids is nothing more than the best known of all comets, 1/p Halley. The electricity from Halley's comet actually cuts the earth's orbit twice: once in May and in October the Orionid produces. While observers of the northern hemisphere may only see a slight increase of maybe 10 meters per hour from the ETA aquariids, southern observers can see considerably more, since the radiant radiation south of the heavenly equator is located near the y-shaped water-jar-seasons in the consequence aquarius. In fact, southern observers often find that this is the best annual meteor showers of the year for the hemisphere. The ETA aquariids are directly behind the personal productivity and reliability in terms of annual productivity and reliability. In 2013, observers found a prize that achieved 140 meters per hour.
The prospects for the ETA aquariids 2025 see an expected ZHR of 50 directly around the 1st quarter moon on the night of May 4th to 5th and bring our natural satellite for the shower directly at midnight from the region. Halley's comet reached the sun on December 9, 2023 Aphel 35.14 Au and now begins his long jump -Sunward before his next appearance in 2061. Will the ETA aquariids be picked up over the next few decades?
Speaking of the Mediterranean showers: A recent central office for astronomical telegram news reports a new meteor shoes that radiates from the Constellation Puppis of the southern hemisphere. The radiant was observed with 150 meters with the global meteor network from 14 countries in the nights of March 18 to 22. The orbit suggests that the source of the “March Puppen” is an unimaginated Jupiter family committee. Another nearby shower nearby, which is known as Pi Puppids Peak at the end of April and comes from Comet 26p/Grigg Ski-Ski-Skijellerup. Both radiations are very close to the 7th size of the Sternpuptis. This shows that many discoveries still have to be made in relation to the science of meteors and meteor showers.
Observing meteors is one of the simplest things you can do in astronomy. All you need is a functioning set of MK-1 axles and patience. Keep a binoculars at hand to examine all persistent smoke trains from bright cars. Also keep an “ear” away for audible meteors while you are crackling or hissing at night. Once considered strictly as an audio illusion, it is now known that such an auditorial appearance is the result of the so -called electrophonic sound.
It is also often possible to hear the “ping” of meteors on the radio by adjusting yourself to an unused part of the FM band.
Photographing meteor is as easy as setting a DSLR tripod to take the exposure of the sky with a wide field and to see what dives. First take a number of test exposure to get the combination of ISO and F-stop and timer settings for the current sky conditions. Modern smartphone cameras, which are equipped with night adaptation modes, are increasingly the task of the meteor duscastrophotography.
You can report what you see for the IMO and contribute to the science of the meteor showers.
If the sky is clear, do not miss the Lyrid meteors on this Easter weekend and pay attention to its close relationship.
