Inhabitants of the American state of Colorado will have a new reason to keep their eyes glued to the night sky soon. A majestic celestial show is approaching, as the first meteor shower of the Spring will produce about 100 meteors per hour, as OutThereColorado.com informs.
The Lyrid Meteor Shower is the cosmic event in question. If you’re already eager to reserve a front-row seat for the cosmic show, you’d better hurry up and cancel any other events you might have in your schedule.
The Lyrid Meteor Shower will peak on April 21
The night of April 21 is the one when Lyrid will reach its peak. However, you’ll still get to feast your eyes on the meteors until dawn. The best way to witness the cosmic event is with binoculars, even though you can also do it with the naked eye. You’ll just have to pick a good spot from where there are no clouds blocking your view of the stars.
The comet known as Thatcher is the one responsible for the Lyrid meteor shower. The comet leaves behind debris, and it has a 415-year orbit around our Sun.
NASA meteor expert Bill Cooke said that although Lyrids come fast, they’re not as fast as the Leonids meteor shower that usually peaks in November. The scientist added as Space.com quotes:
The Leonids hit us head-on,
The Lyrids are more like hitting the left front fender.
The Leonids are also well-known for producing spectacular images on the night sky for the beholders, and the comet Tempel–Tuttle is what’s causing them.
The Universe might be far from the friendly place that most of us like to believe, but it’s great to see that it never allows us to get bored!