NASA says that Lyrids “often leave glowing dust trains behind as they pass through the earth’s atmosphere” and that these trains remain observable for a few seconds.
According to BusinessInsider, viewers have to wait until the ‘fading moon descends’, which will take place around 4am EST in the US, as it will make it easier to see the meteorites and their tails in the sky. The meteors can best be seen in the Northern Hemisphere, according to NASA, but BusinessInsider reports that those who need a reference point to look for should look for the ‘harp-like constellation Lyra, from which the Lyrids often look.’
This comet was discovered in 1861, according to NASA, and the pieces of space comet from the comet that interact with the Earth’s atmosphere are responsible for the Lyrid meteor shower that takes place tomorrow. According to NASA, this shower is one of the oldest known meteorite showers, as it has been observed for 2700 years, with the first observational observation in China in 687 BC.
“The Lyrids are known for their fast and clear meteors, though not as fast or as abundant as the famous Perseids in August,” reads the NASA blog post. “Lyrids can surprise viewers with as many as 100 meteors seen per hour. The observations of these heavier moods occurred in 1803 (Virginia), 1922 (Greece), 1945 (Japan) and 1982 (United States). Overall 10 up to 20 Lyrid meteors can be seen per hour during their peek. ‘For more science from IGN, check out this story about how NASA named some new constellations after Hulk, Thor’s hammer, Godzilla, Doctor Who, and more. Read this story about possible signs of life that were already detected on Venus in 1978 and then look at this story about how the next possible earth could be a planet with two suns like Tatooine.
Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer, guide, and science guru for IGN. You can follow him Twitter @LeBlancWes.