The Red and Black

Issue date: 4/21/09 Section: News

Media Credit: ILLUSTRATION BY BILL RICHARDS As Earth orbits the Sun and encounters a comet's dust trail, particles and rocks enter and burn up in Earth's atmosphere creating a meteor shower, or multiple "shooting stars." Though the dust trail of comet Thatcher is technically responsible for the Lyrids, the shower is named after the area in the sky where the meteors appear to come from - the constellation Lyra. Tonight and early Wednesday morning are the best times to view the Lyrid meteor shower. University professor Inseok Song contributed to this diagram. [Click to enlarge]

This evening, experts say to expect showers. Instead of rain boots and umbrellas, curious viewers opt for blankets and an appetite for the unearthly.

Though viewing the Lyrid meteor shower is an unusual way to celebrate the early hours of Earth Day on Wednesday, it provides a greater understanding of the Earth's encounters while orbiting the Sun.

The Lyrid meteor shower began April 16 and will peak late this evening and during the early hours of Wednesday.

Meteors, also known as "shooting stars," are the result of debris and rocks entering the Earth's atmosphere. Commonly, meteor showers result from comets' dust trails intersecting Earth's orbital path.

With the Lyrids, the comet Thatcher - not the constellation Lyra - is responsible. Spectators associate the shower with Lyra because the Earth is tilted in a way that makes the meteors appear to originate from that direction. The constellation is named after the musical instrument, the lyre.

"For me, one of the best experiences is viewing a meteor shower," said Inseok Song, assistant professor of astronomy. He said he would often see a meteor every 10 seconds while working at an observatory in Hawaii. Despite the high frequency of meteors, the Lyrids usually produce 10 to 20 meteors per hour and are not as eventful as others including the Perseids and Geminids. On the other hand, Song said the Lyrids are unique for their brightness and tendency to leave visible trails.

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