The Lyrid meteor shower is about to peak and Ukrainians may see 18 “shooting stars” per hour.
A bright flash in the sky over Kiev on the night of April 19 both frightened and amused our citizens. But experts warn Ukrainians that this situation may happen again. And the peak of the so-called “star rain” will fall this weekend. Experts say it’s possible to see 18 “shooting stars” every hour.
What to fly to Kyiv?
Officially, the State Space Agency of Ukraine announced that yesterday the flash in the sky above the capital was caused by a meteorite falling from the Lyrid stream. Every year in April, Earth passes through the path of comet Thatcher, leaving this meteor shower.
“The Lyrids are very fast and bright meteors caused by the Thatcher plume. The Lyrids do not leave long burning trails when they penetrate the Earth’s atmosphere, their signature is bright lightning, or so-called “fireballs,” the message said.
The Lyrid meteor shower is one of the oldest known to mankind. It was still observed by the Chinese in 687 BC. e. The Lyrid stream gets its name from the constellation Lyra, where the meteor shower is said to have fallen, the State Space Agency explained.
At the same time, experts did not confirm the authorities’ message about the possible deorbit of the US spacecraft RHESSI.
“This spacecraft is still in orbit, and the place of its possible fall is outside Ukraine. According to the calculations of the space observation center, it is expected that the satellite will cease to exist today – 04/20/2023 at 15 :58:21 Kyiv time (12:58:21 UTC),” the agency added.
Rain Lyrid
Meteor showers or “shooting stars” occur when debris known as meteoroids enter Earth’s atmosphere and burn up, causing streaks of light. The Lyrid rain gets its name from the constellation Lyra, where the meteors seem to come from, but they have nothing to do with these stars.
These particular meteors are fragments of space debris that fall from Comet Thatcher in its orbital path. Despite the fact that its remnants are visible from Earth, this comet is quite far from us and makes an orbit around the Sun only once every 415 years.
Meteoroids themselves are no more than small stones, but when they fall, they reach a speed of about 180 thousand kilometers per hour. At the same time, they compress the air in front of them, causing it to heat up to a temperature of 1600 degrees Celsius, hence the bright glow.
Although the Lyrids are not the brightest showers, the Perseuds and Geminids surpass them, it was one of the first to be observed by humans. First discovered by Chinese astronomers in 687 BC. The Lyrid meteor shower can be seen anywhere on Earth, but the Northern Hemisphere will have the best view.
18 shooting stars per hour
This year, the Lyrid meteor shower began on April 14, but the peak of the shower is expected from April 21 to 23, according to the Daily Mail.
It is believed that the peak of the Lyrid meteor shower is best observed away from large cities, because here the sky is clearer. Shooting stars can be tracked from April 21 to 23, scientists say. Up to 18 bright meteors are expected to appear every hour.
If a person does not see this “light show” in the night sky, then on May 6 you can see the top of another meteor shower – Eta Aquarids. This stream is the destruction of the famous Halley’s Comet and gets its name from the fact that meteors seem to come to us from the constellation of Aquarius. According to scientists, during the peak of this meteor shower, stones will fly through the atmosphere at a speed of 240,000 km / h. About 50 “shooting stars” can be seen every hour.
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Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.