Your ultimate guide to the Lyrid meteor shower – what it is and how to see it
Space shower, anyone?
Spring brings some stunning sights for stargazers, and we can now add the Lyrid meteor shower to that list.
Once a year, the Earth passes through the trail left by the comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher, creating the oldest recorded meteor shower still visible after it was first spotted in 687 BCE.
Its name comes from the Lyra constellation, where they appear to originate from in the sky – but in reality have nothing to do with the distant stars.
The sky will light up as the meteor whizz past at around 30 miles per second, moving so fast the air particles in front can’t get out the way in time. Instead, they’re rapidly compressed and start to heat up, raising the temperature around the meteor to as high as 1,600C – causing it to shine brightly as it streaks across the sky.
Professor Don Pollacco, an astronomy expert at the University of Warwick, said: ‘The Earth passes through a number of comet orbits every year and at these times we see an increase in meteor activity, depending on the density of dust previously ejected from the comet.
‘The Lyrid meteor shower occurs when the Earth crosses through the orbit of a comet discovered in 1861, called Comet Thatcher. In fact, the Lyrid meteors have been seen and recorded for the last 2,700 years.
‘They are called the Lyrid meteors because the radiant is in the constellation of Lyra. The best time to see these is after midnight on a moonless night, with as little light pollution as possible.’
Comet Thatcher
No, it wasn’t named after Margaret.
As is traditional, the comet – officially known as Comet C/1861 G1 (Thatcher) – was named after the person who discovered it, in this case A E Thatcher.
In comet naming convention, the C means Thatcher is a long period comment, and is not expected to return to the inner solar system in less than 200 years. The comet was discovered in 1861, while G indicates the first half of April (so A and B in January, C and D in February and so on), and the 1 means Thatcher was the first comet discovered in that period.
Source: Nasa
When is the best time to see the Lyrid meteor shower?
The Lyrids will cover most of the month, having started on April 14 and ending on April 30.
However, the peak of the showers will happen early next week, on April 22 and 23 and will dazzle us with around 18 meteors per hour.
How to watch the Lyrid meteor shower
Greenwich Observatory said the best way to see the showers is a dark site with an unobstructed view of the sky, but the number of meteors will depend on factors such as the amount of light pollution.
However, this year, the peak will clash with the brightness of the full moon, which is less than ideal for spotting shooting stars.
The Lyrids are visible with the naked eye, so no specialist equipment is needed to watch the spectacle.
How to photograph a meteor shower
Photographer Mark Lord has given some helpful tips on how to picture the shower using a smartphone.
‘No matter the quality of your camera, light pollution is the enemy,’ he said. ‘Head for open areas with minimal artificial light. Dark Sky International is a fantastic resource for finding places with low light pollution.
‘Look for an affordable smartphone tripod. This will help you to achieve long-exposure shots without your camera shaking. If you don’t have a tripod, prop your phone up on a sturdy stack of rocks. In a pinch, a beanbag can also work.
‘To get a properly exposed image, the camera sensor must be exposed to light for longer. To compensate for a lack of manual shutter speed, download a long-exposure app like Slow Shutter Cam (iOS) or Camera FV-5 Lite (Android).
‘Start with an exposure of around 10-20 seconds and adjust based on your environment. A longer exposure might capture unwanted light noise. Make sure to turn off flash and HDR. Flash, if left on, will wash out the meteor. HDR, meanwhile, may create unwanted artefacts in the night sky.’
When is the next meteor shower?
The Eta Aquariids meteor shower begins alongside the Lyrid shower and will start on April 19, but it peaks on May 6, a few days before the new moon and continues to May 28.
After that, stargazers will have to wait almost a month until the Alpha Capricornids shower, which starts on July 3 and reaches its maximum on July 30.