Admire Countless Shooting Stars During The Lyrid Meteor Shower

Virginia is home to several international dark sky parks, which makes stargazing an epic experience. However, you don’t have to travel far to enjoy the upcoming Lyrid Meteor Shower. This annual event will take place between April 16th and April 26th and is particularly noteworthy for its possible surges of up to 100 meteors per hour! Here’s more on this celestial event that promises to be nothing short of spectacular.

The Lyrid Meteor Shower is named after the constellation Lyra, shown in the photograph below. Lyra is represented on star maps as an eagle or a vulture carrying a lyre and is sometimes referred to as Vultur Cadens or Aquila Cadens.

Pithecanthropus4152 / wikimedia

The brightest star in the constellation, known as Vega, happens to be among the brightest stars in the night sky. This will be a helpful point of reference when looking for the meteor shower this spring.

Virginia State Parks / flickr

The comet responsible for the Lyrids is C/1861 G1, or Thatcher, and according to historical Chinese texts, it has been observed for over 2,500 years.

Pat Gaines / Moment Collection via Getty Images

Each year, debris from the comet is visible from earth, although the comet itself takes 415 years to orbit around the sun.

Jeff Sullivan / flickr

The shower is expected to hit its peak around April 21st and 22nd this year. Fortunately, all you need to enjoy the celestial show is a clear sky and a viewing spot away from city lights.

Diana Robinson Photography / Moment Collection via Getty Images

While on average, there may be only a handful of shooting stars visible, the Lyrids are known for producing surges of up to 100 per hour. If this is the case while you’re observing the show, prepare to be absolutely dazzled!

Bill Dickinson / flickr

Have you witnessed the Lyrid meteor shower before? If so, we’d love to hear all about it! For related content, be sure to read about how James River State Park is now considered an official dark sky park.