Starting Tuesday night and going throughout the next few days, the annual Lyrid meteor shower peaks in activity, sending anywhere from 10 to 20 meteors shooting across the sky per hour. The best part of it all? It perfectly adheres to any and all social distancing guidelines! All you need to do is take yourself outside, stay six feet away from everyone else, and look up in the sky for nature’s best show.
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Though the Lyrids will be visible throughout the rest of the week, activity is set to peak in the overnight hours on Tuesday, with activity picking up sometime after 12:00 a.m. on Wednesday, April 22nd. Some pros suggest the activity will pick up closer to dusk, around 4 to 5 a.m. Wednesday.
As the astronomy professionals over at Space.com recommends a two-step process: the first step in enjoying the Lyrids will be to locate the Lyra constellation; the second is to wait. “To spot the Lyrids, find a dark sky away from light pollution and look up — ideally while lying on your back, so you don’t strain your neck,” the site writes. “Lyrid meteors will appear to originate from a point in the sky on the border between the constellations Hercules and Lyra (home of the bright star Vega). This apparent point of origin, known as the meteor shower’s radiant, will be in the northeast after sunset and almost directly overhead in the hours before dawn.”
If you really don’t want to miss out, it’s recommended you use a constellation-tracking app such as SkySafari or the like to help direct you to Lyra.
Cover photo by Patrick Pleul/picture alliance via Getty Images
