Need a spectacular event to distract you from the daily drudge of life? Worry not, as there’s something just for you, at a cosmic level.
The annual Lyrids meteors are here to brighten up the night sky, reports RTL Nieuws.
Peak on Wednesday morning
The Lyrids meteors appear every year in April and are actually one of the oldest recorded meteors showers.
So what is up with these meteors? Well, they come from a distant comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher, and they’re basically debris emitted by the comet while it flies through space.
Thankfully, the night sky will be clear throughout this week until Thursday, reports Buienradar, so you’ll have plenty of opportunities to see the meteor showers.
The meteors will be visible throughout all the weeknights this week, but the peak of this cosmic activity will be in the night between Tuesday and Wednesday, specifically at 4 AM on Wednesday morning. It might be worth waking up a bit early, watching some meteors then doing some wild indoor workout before your work at home day. Or you could also fall straight back to sleep after you see it.
What’s fun about the Lyrids meteors is that some of them create bright fireballs as they disintegrate in the atmosphere, leaving behind a trail of smoke.
The meteors should be visible from everywhere, but obviously people in the rural areas will get more of a show given the lower level of light pollution. The best spot to look on the sky is by looking east to southeast.
Excited about this light show on the skies? Let us know in the comments!
Feature Image: Trevor Bexon/Flickr