| Title: |
Lyrid Meteor Shower 2009 |
| Location: |
Hawaiian Island Viewing |
| Date / Time: |
April 16 -25; Peak April 21 - 22 |
| Comments: |
The annual Lyrid meteor shower could be quite good this year as peak activity occurs close to the New Moon.
This year the Lyrids are expected to peak in a Moon-free sky, around 1AM (HST) on Wednesday morning, April 22nd. Under clear skies, from a dark viewing location, we might expect to see as many as 20 meteors (shooting stars) per hour. From around midnight, (Tuesday night) thru sunrise Wednesday morning, get yourself comfortably situated in the darkest area you can find. A lounge chair with blankets & a thermos with a hot beverage would be great. You DO NOT need a telescope or binoculars to see this, or any meteor shower. Just make sure you are warm & comfortable, find a dark spot, & scan the sky for streaks of light! Tuesday night into Wednesday morning would be an excellent time for camping under the (shooting) stars.... (While you're out there - look for Jupiter, Venus & Mars in the pre-dawn sky).
These meteors will appear to ?radiate? from the constellation Lyra, near it's border with Hercules. While the peak occurs on the morning of April 22nd, the Lyrids are active from April 16-25 so you may see some Lyrid meteors anytime during this period. Lyrids meteors are bright & swift (traveling at an average speed of 30 miles per SECOND!) & often leave trails.
Meteor showers occur when the Earth passes thru the path of a comet. The tiny bits of debris left behind by comets, most no larger than a grain of sand, create a spectacular light show as they enter (& burn up) in Earth's atmosphere.
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Maintained by Roz Reiner - Kauai, Hawaii
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