The Lyrid Meteor Shower is set to peak tonight, offering stargazers potentially up to 15 meteors visible each hour, particularly between 3-5am. Viewing conditions are optimal in areas devoid of light pollution. The Lyrids are notable not only for their brightness and speed but also as one of the earliest recorded meteor showers, with reports dating back to 687 BC. They occur when Earth traverses the dust trail left by Comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher, with meteor particles creating bright streaks in the sky as they enter Earth's atmosphere.
'With the Lyrids you'll be looking for a little flurry of short-lived streaks of light - what you might popularly call shooting stars,' explained Dr Robert Massey, deputy executive director at the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS). The Lyrids have been observed and reported since 687 BC - and no other modern shower has been recorded as far back in time.
'As these comet particles burn up in our atmosphere, they produce bright streaks of light, what we see as meteors,' said Dr Shyam Balaji, a physicist at King's College London. 'Lyrid meteors are known for being bright and fast, often leaving glowing trails in the sky that linger for a few seconds.'
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