There are few things in the night sky as striking as an active meteor shower. It is an impressive sight that adds to the excitement of the chase. You need to get in the dark air the right night when the weather is clear. You have to be there at the right moment to see the awesome show.
It’s been a while since stargazers have had the privilege of showering. Even if the winter weather would not have kept you indoors, there has not been a big one since January. However, it is about to change. April and May will bring meteor showers back on the stargazing calendar.
No show will be completely blinded like the Perseids or Geminids, two of the showers that show most jaws. Nevertheless, the meteor shower in April and May will be impressive spectacles.
First, in April, the Lyrid meteor shower arrive. The shower has already started producing meteors, but reaches its peak in the night of April 21 to the morning of April 22. Bill Cooke of NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office told Thrillist that astronomers should expect about ten to 20 meteors per hour when the Lyrids peak. .
However, the moon will be bright enough to cause disturbance. Early in the night, the moon’s light will prevent astronomers from seeing as many meteors as would otherwise occur. Cooke proposes to go out early in the morning of April 22 to prevent the moon from interfering.
Shortly after the Lyrids hit the heights, the Eta Aquarid meteor shower will reach its peak. This will happen in the night of May 5th to the morning of May 6th. This downpour, created by the debris of Halley’s Comet, could produce up to 40 meteors per hour, according to Cooke.
If you are about to see a meteor shower, it is recommended that you head in the direction of a dark sky and away from the light pollution in cities. This is especially true for the Eta Aquarids, as the shower tends to produce faint meteors.
In addition to walking out of the city, after midnight you will want to go to meteoric hunter for the Eta Aquarids to avoid disturbance of the moon. “You have one last quarter moon. So you want to start observing around 2am and going to dawn,” Cooke said.
If your meteor is starving, we do not get the Perseids, but some good exhibits are finally on the way.