Lyrid Meteor Shower 2021: When and where to see Lyrid Meteor Shower?

There was a time when stargazing was an everyday possibility. But due to the light pollution and the overwrought pace at which the world is functioning in recent times, rarely do people still look up to catch the glimpse of the natural phenomenon. However, today, rather inescapably, the world has paused and chosen to stay buoyant in the light of the pandemic. As a result, celestial bodies have become the object of attraction once again. And this month, we're in for a treat because the Lyrid meteor shower is expected to hit the skies soon. Lyrid is one of the oldest meteor showers to have gone on record, more specifically in 687 B.C.

Where to see Lyrid Meteor Shower?

According to Time Out, the grand show of stars will be visible in the month of April between the dates of 16 and 25. The full shower is expected to peak on April 21, though, cascading into the early mornings of April 22. The April Meteor shower will be visible across the world but its visibility is highly dependent on clear skies, of course. The sky will also be lit up with a nearly full, super pink moon this month that will reach its peak illumination on April 26.

The April meteor shower will emerge from the area near the Lyra constellation. Hence, interested stargazers are advised to be ready with star tracker maps that will be available on the Internet or in the form of apps. Astronomers have stated that the world will be able to witness about 15 to 20 meteors per hour. Be sure to steer clear from areas illuminating with lights so that you don't miss a chance of witnessing the celestial display.

More about Lyrid Meteor Shower

On a NASA blog for their Watch the Skies segment, Lyrids were described as pieces of debris that emerge from the comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher. It is one of the more popular meteor showers because of the sheer display it illuminates. Since Lyrids appear from one of the brightest stars in the sky i.e. the Vega star from the Lyra constellation, the meteor showers originating from them are pretty much hard to miss. Bill Cooke, the lead of NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office, claimed that this will be a good year for the Lyrids.

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