Get ready, Vancouver Island!
Looking up at the night sky to witness the stunning astral display is a true treasure, and it doesn’t cost a penny.
The skies above the Northern Hemisphere are about to get a lot more interesting, as the Lyrid meteor shower takes place between April 15th to 29th.
The Lyrid meteor shower occurs every year as a result of debris from the wake of Comet Thatcher passes through the earth’s atmosphere.
According to EarthSky, the best nights to watch the meteor shower is from late evening until dawn the following morning, on April 21st and 22nd, and fortunately, the moon will not interfere this year.
In a dark sky with no moon, you might see 10 to 15 Lyrids per hour, although it’s not uncommon that surges can sometimes bring rates of up to 100 per hour!
Look to the northeast
The point where the meteors originate, or the radiant, will be high in the sky in the constellation Lyra, which lies northeast of one of the brightest stars visible at this time of year – Vega.
But experts say not to look directly at the radiant, because you may then miss some of the meteors with the longest tails.
Although not as prominent as the Perseid meteor shower in August, or as fast as the Leonid meteor shower in November, the Lyrids promise to be luminous enough to light up the skies just the same.
The Lyrids are one of the oldest meteor showers known to man, going as far back as 687 BC.
No special equipment is necessary for viewing it, so just grab a blanket, some snacks, and hot chocolate, and look up!
You’re in for quite a show.
