at 9:21 PM by Mallory Schnell

Lyrid Meteor Shower Peaks Tonight

Tonight, the Lyrid meteor shower will be at its peak between 10 PM CDT through the early morning hours tomorrow. Astronomers believe that although this shower will not be as heavy as many of the others, there could be up to 20 shooting stars per hour. The moon is expected to set at 11:39 PM CDT tonight (timeanddate.com), leaving plenty of night sky for stargazers here in Bowling Green.

The Lyrid meteor shower is active every year around April 16-25; while meteors are expected for the rest of the week, the numbers will dwindle after the shower’s peak tonight. Nothing is needed to watch these meteor showers, besides your eyes and some dark sky. The Lyrid meteors can be traced back to the constellation Lyra the Harp, near the bright star Vega. However, these stars can appear in all parts of the sky unexpectedly.

Earthsky.org has more information on the Lyrid meteor shower and its connection with the star Vega:

The higher Vega climbs into the sky, the more meteors that you are likely to see. Be aware that the star Vega resides quite far north of the celestial equator, so for that reason the Lyrid meteor shower favors the Northern Hemisphere.

Around the Lyrids’ peak, the star Vega rises above your local horizon – in the northeast – around 9 to 10 p.m. local time (that’s the time on your clock, from Northern Hemisphere locations). It climbs upward through the night. By midnight, Vega is high enough in the sky that meteors radiating from her direction streak across your sky. Just before dawn, Vega and the radiant point shine high overhead. That’s one reason the meteors will be more numerous before dawn.

The Lyrid meteor shower just gives us one more reason to look up to the sky tonight. Happy Earth Day!