during its one year revolution around sunEarth has its own path that intersects many times comet and d’asteroids passed by there. What is made of debris left in the past astronomers are calling meteor swarmor showershooting wiresWhen our planet crosses them.

One of the most important meteor showers of the year is the so-called lyrids, It begins around 15 April and reaches its peak around 22 April before drying up at the end of the month. Inspired by various paths in the past of Comet Thatcher – C/1861 G1 (Thatcher), it Climate Its small dust is projected at an average speed of 48 km / h.

In the night of 21 to 22 April it will be necessary to deal with one gibbous moon is decreasing (70% complete), so a . with Glow Large enough to interfere with the observation of the weakest meteors. The average rate of visible Lyrid per hour is a maximum of 20. The peak of activity was announced, the night before and the next could be just as rich.

To inspect them, as always, it is better to turn to planetarium Of Radiant The one who gave the flock its name, in this case Lear, and wait until it is highest in the sky, or until the end of the night. Note that you may not have lost anything by waking up earlier than usual, because at this time of night, about an hour before the first rays of the sun, a spectacular Four Planetary Alignment stands facing east. A show not to be missed, especially in the best possible circumstances, tens of kilometers away from light pollution,

Illustration of dust from a meteor swarm hitting Earth’s atmosphere. When viewed from the ground, the direction of their origin is radiant in the sky. © reverse_jr, Adobe Stock

Lyrid meteor shower in 2021

article of Xavier Demersmann Published on April 22, 2021

It is tonight that the Lyrids meteor shower should reach its optimum level. Unfortunately, the gibbous moon that shines within lion By this evening and until 4:30 p.m., its brightness will hinder observations of the smallest meteors.

Despite the presence of this lighthouse at night, as always, it is appropriate for astronomy to move from urban agglomerations to rural areas, as far as possible. harmful light pollution (harmful to both astronomy and Biodiversity) to make the most of the celestial spectacle (many things to see besides the Lyrids) and catch the shining arrows lyrids,

Remember that their name comes from the constellation of Lyra, which really only takes height at midnight at this time. It is within him, more precisely among the talented vega The ribs of Hercules where the radiance is located. We should mainly look in this direction.

The meteor shower is filled with tiny specks of dust torn off from Comet Thatcher during each of its passages around Earth—the last being 1861, the year of its discovery. They are about twenty per hour to fall onto Earth’s upper atmosphere, and to create the spectacle of one of the most beautiful showers of shooting stars of the year.

Lyrids in 2020

Article by Nathalie Meyer published on April 21, 2020

It is said that the Lyrids are among the most beautiful shooting star rain of the year. And since April 16, Earth is once again passing through the dust stream left behind by Comet C/1861 G1 Thacher. According to IMO,International Meteor OrganizationThe peak of activity is expected on the night of 21 to 22 April. The hourly rate is about twenty shooting stars per hour.

In order to see them well, it is as always strongly advised to walk away from light pollution cities. But in the event of captivity, we can at least count on the absence of the Moon – it will be new moon Tomorrow – to darken the sky. And wait until midnight — untildawn –, that constellation Lyra — and its brightest star, vega – Very high in our sky.

To catch the brightest and longest Lyrids, it is advisable to look a little further than their brightest, towards the constellation of Hercules or even Bouvier. Also observe the sky for at least an hour. Because activity is not uniform over time. Looking at the sky for only a few minutes, you may have the misfortune of coming across a trough and not seeing any shooting stars.

Finally, note that Weather Forecast This time, the north of the country is more favorable for an observation than the southern part.

Don’t forget to watch the Lyrids meteor shower on April 21-22

Every year, between 16 and 25 April, our earth crossesmeteor swarm Of the Lyrids. We owe it to Comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher, which intruded into Solar system Internally every 415 years. And this is the first great opportunity to see a shower of shooting stars in the spring.

The highlight of the show is scheduled for the night of 21-22 April. A little before dawn, in a place free of light pollution – this year, no worries about the Moon, which won’t be present at that time – you have to look in the direction of the Vega star and something Constellation Lyra,

It should be possible to observe between 10 and 20 meteors per hour. Something to enchant these difficult times Imprisonment,

Don’t miss the maximum Lyrid meteor shower this weekend

Article by Florian Boyer published on 20/04/2019

The meteorite swarm of Lyrids once again makes us proud as they cross our skies this second part of April. In activity from the 16th to the 25th of the month, this year’s shower of shooting stars should reach its maximum during the nights of Sunday through Monday (April 21 to April 22).American Meteor Society, at a rate of 10 to 20 meteors per hour. To be sure you can make a wish, it is advisable to watch for their arrival the night before the peak of activity as well as the next night, knowing that the maximum is usually the night of 22 to 23 april , However, the Moon could interfere with observations, as it would just come out of its full phase.

The meteors in this swarm seem to originate from a point to the right of the beautiful blue star Vega, which is the brightest in the constellation Lyra, hence their name. They actually correspond to the dusty debris of comet C/1861 G1, named Thatcher, which Earth passes over the same period every year. Aside from the magic and potential desires of this show, here’s another good reason not to miss their journey: It’s one of the oldest shooting star rainwhich we can see today. The earliest known sightings date back to 2,700 years ago.