Stargazers within the UK can sit up for a blinding spectacle this month with the arrival of the Lyrid meteor bathe.
Lyrid is among the oldest recorded meteor showers and is seen yearly from round mid to late April. Anybody making an attempt to see the show ought to hopefully catch glimpses of streaks of sunshine within the sky that seem briefly.
This 12 months, the bathe can be lively from 16 April to 25 April – with its peak on Tuesday 22 April.
The meteors will seem to radiate from some extent inside the constellation Lyra – the place they originate from – however can be seen throughout the entire sky.
What’s a meteor bathe?
A meteor bathe is a celestial occasion the place quite a few meteors present up as brilliant streaks of sunshine within the night time sky.
These shows happen when Earth passes via a path of particles left behind by a comet or, much less generally, an asteroid.
The particles, typically no bigger than grains of sand or small pebbles, enters Earth’s environment at excessive speeds, burning up as a result of friction and creating the glowing trails we name meteors, or “capturing stars”.
Meteor showers are named after the constellation from which they seem to originate and occur predictably annually as Earth crosses the identical particles paths.
How can I see the Lyrid meteor bathe within the UK?
The height of this 12 months’s Lyrid meteor bathe is the twenty second April, in keeping with Jake Foster, the general public astronomy officer at Royal Museums Greenwich.
He advised BBC Radio 4’s At this time programme: “One of the simplest ways to see it’s after 10pm – round midnight is even higher as a result of the radiant level Lyra can be greater within the sky.”
Foster added that the Lyrid meteor bathe is “generally known as one of many brilliant ones”, and no specialist tools can be wanted.
He defined: “The very best factor to do is get away from the intense metropolis lights and get a large view of the sky. Lay down on a blanket, no tools wanted, no telescope wanted, simply plenty of endurance.”
Sam Tonkin, from the Royal Astronomical Society, advised Yahoo Information UK that no specific a part of the UK can be higher than others by way of catching a glimpse of the show.
He stated: “It will likely be seen throughout the UK. The one factor that may impression it’s in case you have a transparent sky/cloud cowl and if you’re away from gentle air pollution or not.”
Jessica Lee, astronomer on the Royal Observatory Greenwich, advised Yahoo Information UK that areas of the UK with darker skies, away from gentle polluted areas, would be the finest locations to see the show.
She added: “No meteors can be seen in case you have fully cloudy skies, so areas with higher climate forecasts may also fare higher…
“The very best factor to do is go to an space with a lot of sky seen – like an open discipline, or the highest of a hill.”
Dr Robert Massey, the deputy govt director of the Royal Astronomical Society, stated that the very best tools “is simply your eyes”, with the east being the purpose within the sky the place the meteors seem to return from.
He added: “With this specific bathe you could possibly anticipate to see possibly 10 to fifteen an hour on the peak, so it isn’t massively prolific… however in case you’ve obtained a transparent sky it is nonetheless very a lot value it.”
The place does the Lyrid meteor bathe come from?
The Lyrid meteor bathe originates from the path of comet Thatcher, that was found in 1861.
The meteor bathe we see yearly is the results of little items of particles left in Thatcher’s wake.
The comet final handed our photo voltaic system within the 12 months it was found, abandoning a big discipline of tiny pebbles which are normally no larger than a grain of sand, which fall into the environment and provides us the annual show because the Earth orbits the solar.
Thatcher orbits the solar as soon as each 415 years and the Lyrid are named after the constellation Lyra, the place their radiant level – the spot that they seem to return from – is positioned.
The Lyrids have been noticed and reported since 687 BC, and have been first recorded by the Chinese language. No different trendy bathe being recorded as far again in time.
Comet Thatcher will not return to our skies till 2276 however its remnants will proceed to dazzle stargazers on a yearly foundation.
