Surges Of Up To 100 Meteors Per Hour Will Light Up The Arkansas Skies During The 2020 Lyrid Meteor This April
By Carol Ann Carson|Published March 18, 2020
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Carol Ann Carson
Author
Arkansas native, Carol Ann Carson, has written for OnlyInYourState for three years now. She resides in Western Arkansas' Mountain Frontier but calls NWA home as well. The graduate of University of Arkansas - Fort Smith, Carol Ann earned her B.A. in English and will soon be pursing her M.A. in Library Science. She loves exploring the trails around the Buffalo National River and has yet to find a waterfall that wasn't her favorite.
Stargazers will have a special reason to look up next month. The Lyrid meteor shower will be happening at the end of the month and brings a chance for surges of up to 100 meteors per hour! Pick Arkansas’ first dark sky park or another light pollution-free area and enjoy the star-studded show.
For about 10 days in April the night sky will be studded with shooting stars during the Lyrid meteor shower.
The constellation was first recorded by Ptolemy, a Greek astronomer, in the 2nd century. The Lyrid meteor shower is also one of the earliest recorded showers, dating back to 687 BC! The brightest star of Lyra, called Vega, is one of the brightest stars in the night sky.
C/1861 G1, or Thatcher, is the long-period comet responsible for the Lyrids. It sheds dust particles debris, which zoom across the horizon at astonishing speeds.
The surge can produce over 100 meteors per hour! The uncommon event happens frequently during the meteor shower, though it is unpredictable to know which years it will occur. The normal counts seen from Arkansas (outside of the surges) is about 10-15/hour.
Although we don't know if a meteor outburst will occur this year, we do know this the Lyrids will be visible!
Unlike every other meteor shower that has occurred lately, we will not have a moon stealing the spotlight! The moon will be in the waxing crescent phase so little of it will be seen during the shower.
This will be a great time to find a dark spot and enjoy the night sky!
Arkansas is fortunate to have acres of national forested areas with little light pollution. Head to your favorite secluded camping spot and watch this starry night show.
Are you making plans to see the Lyrid meteor shower? Where’s your favorite place to sit back and watch the showers? We would love to see your starry photos in our Facebook group, Arkansas Nature Lovers. You should join for your chance to be featured and to discover why there’s nothing better than Arkansas’ stunning nature.
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