After no major annual meteor showers for months, the Lyrids are here to end the drought.
Known as one of the oldest-recorded meteor showers, the Lyrids are expected to produce 10 to 15 meteors per hour for three nights centered around its peak of 9:06 p.m. ET on Saturday,according to EarthSky.
The good news is that a near new moon will leave perfect viewing conditions, with no bright light interference from what a full moon would cause. Occasionally, the Lyrids have exceeded expectations, with outbursts of up to 100 per hour averaging every 60 years. The next outburst is expected for 2042, according to the society. While no outbursts are predicted for this year, the Lyrids could still be worth your time, with a portion of them fireballs, extra bright meteors in the sky, Lunsford said.The Lyrids were first recorded in 687 BC, according to NASA, making this meteor shower to be one of the oldest recorded.
Due to planetary perturbations, disturbances in a planet's orbit, denser clumps of debris occur every 60 years caused by this comet's proximity to Jupiter and Saturn, Lunsford said. This outburst is what was first recorded over 2,700 years ago.The Lyrids may not be the most active of the annual showers.
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