April showers may bring May flowers, but spring in the Northern Hemisphere also means meteor showers. This month kicks off meteor shower season and the Lyrids is the first big one.
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00:00April showers bring May flowers, but spring in the Northern Hemisphere also means meteor showers.
00:08This month kicks off meteor season, and the Lyrids is the first big one.
00:13The Lyrids originate from C-1861G1 Thatcher, and typically produce 15 to 20 meteors per hour,
00:19with occasional outbursts. This year, it will peak on April 20th and 21st,
00:24and is best seen from Europe and North America. The next big one will start basically at the
00:28same time, the Etta Aquarid showers. Those originate from Halley's Comet, but has a much longer show
00:33peaking from April 19th to May 28th, and favoring southern observers. This year, we will also be
00:39treated to a rarer one that only shows up every five or so years, and appears in the sky to come
00:44from constellation Pupis. Those showers, named Pi Pupids, is debris from Comet 26P slash Greg Scalarup.
00:51Experts say the best viewing is after midnight, when your location faces into the oncoming meteor
00:56stream. They add, you can simply use your eyes, no telescopes needed.