The Spring Skywatch is in top condition. The annual Lilid Meteor Shower is back, offering people in the Northern Hemisphere the chance to catch shooting stars in the night sky.
The Meteor Shower began on April 16th, but peaks on Monday nights and early Tuesday mornings. When the weather allowed, the Skywatcher could see up to 15 shooting stars per hour during that period, as long as they were in dark places.
Lilid is usually one of the most reliable meteor showers of the year, and its timing coincides with milder spring temperatures throughout the Northern Hemisphere, making it a popular celestial show.
This year’s peak occurs in a declining crescent moon that will satisfy approximately 27% of the time. According to NASA which means that the shooting star is unlikely to be washed away by the bright moonlight.
To enjoy the peak to the best, NASA recommends watching outside from Monday nights from 10pm in the area until the next morning dawn. However, whenever it is late on a Monday evening, and before the moon rises around 3:30am, local time you will have the chance to see meteors scattered across the night sky.
Lilids are usually the most clearly observed from the Northern Hemisphere, but according to NASA, Eagle Eyed Skywatchers in the Southern Hemisphere may be able to find some shooting stars.
If conditions are clear, it is best to choose an unobstructed viewing location under the darkest sky possible, away from city lights and other forms of light pollution.
Skywatchers must face roughly eastward and look straight ahead. Meteors are striped from every point, and it is known that Lilids sometimes leave bright trails when dancing across the night sky.
Meteor showers can be enjoyed without special equipment, but experts suggest giving your eyes time to adjust to the darkness, so that you can spend about 45 minutes without seeing a mobile phone or bright light.
Meteor showers occur when Earth passes through remaining debris from comets and asteroids. As our planet orbits the Sun and shakes these rocks and dust clouds, the fragments evaporate into the atmosphere, appearing like stripes of light in the sky.
Lilid is C/1861 G1, or Comet Thatcher. It was named after Alfred E. Thatcher, an amateur astronomer who first observed a comet in 1861.
After the peak, the Lyrid meteor shower will continue to be on display until April 29th.
Source: www.nbcnews.com
