April Lights Up The Night: Two Meteor Showers Are On The Way, Here’s How To See Them
Get ready, skygazers. You can start marking your calendar for the upcoming meteor showers, with April beginning an active expansion for skywatchers in the Northern Hemisphere.
After a long hiatus at the beginning of the year — there Quadrantids meteor shower peaked just after New Year’s, and little else followed — meteor activity picks up again, producing two showers as the month begins.
The first meteor shower is the Lyrids, which begins on April 14 and continues until the end of the month. This is a small meteor shower powered by comet C/1861 G1, also known as Thatcherer after its discoverer, AE Thatcher, in 1861. A long-period comet that takes 415.5 years to orbit the sun.
The Lyrids meteor shower peaks on April 21-22 and will produce somewhere between 15 and 20 meteors per hour under the right conditions. According to the American Meteor Society, the peak should occur on the evening of April 22, so if you can get out on one of these two nights, the second night is expected to be a better viewing experience.
The second meteor shower starting in April is the Eta Aquariids. This meteor shower begins on April 19 and lasts for over a month, ending on May 28. This has the potential of two meteor showers with an expected maximum of 50 meteors per hour, depending on where you view them. The Eta Aquariids shower is known for its fast meteors and persistent tails that stick around for a while after the meteor disappears.
Comet 1P/Halley feeds it, the same one that feeds the Orionids meteor shower every October. Its peak should be on May 5-6. The further south you go, the more meteors you can expect to see, and the opposite is true the further north you go. The best place to watch this meteor shower is in the tropics.
Meteors from the Lyrids meteor shower will be visible from the constellation Lyra, which rises in the eastern sky in April.
How to spot Lyrids and Eta Aquariids
Meteor showers come with a built-in trick to find them. They are named after the constellations where the meteors appear. This origin point, known as the radiant, is where you want to look.
The Lyrids meteor shower originates in the constellation Lyra, which is close to the large constellation Hercules. Both rose in the eastern sky shortly after 11pm local time. It will then follow the same path towards the sun, moving upwards before setting in the west. Sunrises happen long before sunsets, so if you wake up early to watch these, you’ll want to look up in the western sky.
Meteors from the eta Aquariids will be visible from the constellation Aquarius, visible on the eastern horizon a few hours before dawn in April and May.
The shower of Eta Aquariids is very difficult to watch. It originates in the constellation Aquarius, which spends most of the night of May 5-6 under the eastern sky. The constellation rises around 3 a.m. local time and will barely break the horizon before sunrise a few hours later. When you go out to see the eta Aquariids, go up and point them to the east.
If you’re having trouble finding constellations, your best bet is to use a sky mapping app like StarWalk (Android and iOS) or use web tools like Stellarium’s Sky Map. Such tools can help you see where the constellations will be. To watch a meteor shower, all you really need is a general guide, but there’s no harm in knowing how to find the constellation.
Tips for watching meteor showers
I advice for viewing meteor showers it’s the same, no matter how big or small the shower is. One big advantage you can give yourself is to stay away from light pollution as much as possible. This means leaving the city and suburbs behind for greener, greener pastures.
The moon can have a big effect on the view. This will not be a problem for the Lyrids as the moon is expected to be about a quarter full during the height of the Lyrids. Eta Aquariids watchers are out of luck as the moon will be about 80% full that night, creating significant light pollution. The American Meteor Society says the shower’s maximum number could be 50 meteors per hour, but as the moon approaches full, people can expect closer to 10.
Apart from light pollution, the advice is very simple. Be sure to get out of there early enough for your eyes to adjust, and avoid using any bright lights that may affect your night vision. Since watching the meteor shower can be a multi-hour activity, be sure to dress appropriately for the weather and avoid alcohol, as it acts as a vasodilator and can cause you to lose body heat very quickly on a cold night.
You won’t need any equipment as meteors are visible to the naked eye. Telescopes and binoculars will limit your field of view, which may cause you to miss meteors.
