A meteor shower lights up the sky over the Mexican volcano Popocatepetl near the village San Nicolas de los Ranchos in Mexican state of Puebla in the early hours of December 14, 2004. The shower, named Geminid because it appears to originate from the cons
(IN PHOTO) A meteor shower lights up the sky over the Mexican volcano Popocatepetl near the village San Nicolas de los Ranchos in Mexican state of Puebla in the early hours of December 14, 2004. The shower, named Geminid because it appears to originate from the constellation Gemini, lit up the sky with dozens of shooting stars per hour. Reuters

The annual Lyrid meteor shower is back again. Every year, Lyrids meteor showers returns in April when Earth passes through the leftover ice and dust from the C/1861 Thatcher comet. In 2015, the meteor shower is expected to peak between April 22 midnight and early dawn of April 23.

During the meteor shower, the moon will be of waxing crescent shape, thus adding on to the chances of higher visibility due to the darker sky than usual. However, the total visibility of the event depends on the existing astronomic and atmospheric conditions at the time of the meteor shower.

“This year the moon will be a waxing crescent only 1/15th the brightness of a full moon, and it will set early, allowing excellent dark sky conditions for this shower,” said Bob Berman, an astronomer at Slooh, reported TIME.

The Europeans will witness the best view of the meteor shower. However, people from all across the globe will be able to see a part of the falling fireballs, just before sunrise. According to the experts, 20 meteors per hour are expected to be seen during the shower.

According to the astronomers, the enthusiastic sky gazers do not need any special equipment or a telescope to witness the meteor shower. All they need is a chair in a dark corner where they can sit and wait for the spectacular phenomenon to begin.

During 687 B.C., the Chinese star gazers witnessed the Lyrid meteor showers for the first time. They described the event as “stars dropping down like rain at midnight.”

"Meteors from the Lyrids appear to trace their paths back to a radiant about 10º southwest of bright blue-white Vega, a star which northern stargazers can see rising in the northeast by 10 p.m. in mid April," says the Slooh page, reported Tech Times.

Enthusiastic individuals can watch the meteor shower through naked eyes. For people who miss to witness it themselves outdoors, the Slooh Community Observatory plans to host a live stream of the meteor shower online in a live show on April 22 from the Canary Islands.

To report a problem or to leave a feedback on the article, send an e-mail to emailtoguneet@gmail.com.

RELATED STORIES