One of the peak days to observe the Lyrid meteor shower this year will fall on Earth Day, an international celebration of our pale blue dot that raises awareness for environmental protection.
And perhaps, there is no better way to celebrate our life-giving planet than to be reminded of the terrifying beauty of outer space — and just how small we are in comparison.
On the evening of April 22 into the morning of April 23, the Lyrid meteor shower will be at its most visible. If you’re interested in a late-night family outing or fashion yourself an amateur astronomer, then break out the lawn chairs and pack up the car for some spectacular stargazing.
What are the Lyrids?
A meteor from the Lyrids is seen on April 22, 2020 above Schermbeck, Germany.
Mario Hommes/Getty Images
The Lyrids are an annual meteor shower that take place in April.
According to NASA, the light show we see as shooting stars is actually shards of space dust that get ejected off comets as they pass around the sun. The Lyrid meteor shower is a result of the debris trail left by the comet Thatcher.
When the Earth passes through Thatcher’s dust trail, the debris disintegrates as it collides with our planet’s atmosphere, creating fiery and colourful shooting stars.
The Lyrids are one of the oldest known meteor showers in recorded history. The first documented sighting of the astronomical event was in 687 CE by Chinese observers. That means that humans have been enjoying the Lyrid meteor shower for at least 2,700 years.
The Thatcher comet was first discovered and last spotted from Earth in 1861. Its orbital period around the sun is about 415 years so it won’t be seen again until 2276. Until then, we’ll just have to enjoy its beautiful dust trail in the form of the Lyrids.
The radiant point for the Lyrids originates in the constellation Lyra, giving the meteor shower its name. This means that the Lyrids meteors appear to originate from within the Lyra constellation (just as the Perseid meteor shower in August appears to come from the Pegasus constellation), specifically close to the star Vega.
Tips on how to watch the Lyrids from anywhere in Canada
Multiple exposures were combined to produce this image of star trails seen during the Lyrids meteor shower over Michaelskapelle on April 20, 2020, in Niederhollabrunn, Austria.
Thomas Kronsteiner/Getty Images
The timespan between April 21 and April 23 will be the best time to watch the Lyrid meteor shower, with its predicted peak occurring at 12 a.m. EDT on the morning of April 22.
The moon is currently in a gibbous phase which means it is still quite large and bright in the sky, making stargazing more difficult. Thankfully, the moon is waning, which means it will get smaller and smaller each night.
As a result, the best conditions for star-gazing may be the evening of April 22 into the next morning or before the moonrise begins on either night.
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If you want to watch the Lyrids by moonlight, it’s best to sit in the shadow of a tree or building. More meteors will be visible if you are out of the direct path of moonlight.
Under ideal conditions, with no moonlight, observers can see up to 10 to 15 shooting stars per hour. But the Lyrids are also prone to unpredictable surges that can result in up to 100 visible meteors per hour.
Canadians are well suited to view the Lyrids as they are most visible in the Northern Hemisphere.
According to EarthSky, a specialty publication focusing on astronomy, the best way to pinpoint where the meteors will start falling is to look for the star Vega: the Lyrid’s radiant point.
Vega begins to rise above the horizon at around 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. local time in the Northern Hemisphere. Look in the northeast sky to spot it (you can use star charts or any number of night sky apps to help you pinpoint Vega.)
At around midnight, Vega will have risen enough that the Lyrids will appear to streak across the northeast sky. Just before dawn, Vega will be high overhead and shooting stars will look like they’re raining down from the top of the sky.
Stargazers who look directly at the Lyrid’s radiant point near Vega will notice shorter shooting stars. It’s best to look in the northeast direction but not directly at Vega to see longer streaks in the sky.
Some best practices for general stargazing include checking the weather and cloud cover in your area diligently. Clear skies are important for observing meteor showers so check conditions in your area before embarking on a, potentially, long drive to get away from light pollution.
This brings us to our second point – be prepared to drive long distances to get away from urban areas or clusters of bright lights. Too much light pollution will stymie even a pro’s attempt at observing a meteor shower as the glowing space dust is too dim to compete with the bright lights of urban Canada.
You can use the DarkSiteFinder light pollution map to help find a spot where light pollution won’t interfere with stargazing.
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Meteor lights up sky over parts of Vancouver Island – Dec 14, 2021
For most regions in Canada, driving outside the limits of your city or town will be enough to escape the majority of light pollution you might see. However, in more developed areas of southern and central Ontario, and along the St. Lawrence River, residents might have a harder time finding dark sites to stargaze.
For Ontario and Quebec urbanites, your best bet is to try a provincial park in order to escape the dome of light pollution.
It’s ideal to wait about 30 minutes in a dark viewing spot to allow your night vision to develop, making it easier to spot shooting stars. During that time, avoid looking at bright lights, as doing so will reverse the progress you’ve made to develop better night vision.
If you need to use your phone, try shifting it to night mode to filter out blue light and reduce the overall brightness.
Bring a lawn chair or picnic blanket so you can watch the night sky comfortably and be sure to wear multiple layers if you’re in a colder part of the country.
Once you’ve followed all our tips, all that’s left to do is sit back or lie down, and enjoy the show.
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NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The body of Ugandan Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei — who died after being set on fire by her partner in Kenya — was received Friday by family and anti-femicide crusaders, ahead of her burial a day later.
Cheptegei’s family met with dozens of activists Friday who had marched to the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital’s morgue in the western city of Eldoret while chanting anti-femicide slogans.
She is the fourth female athlete to have been killed by her partner in Kenya in yet another case of gender-based violence in recent years.
Viola Cheptoo, the founder of Tirop Angels – an organization that was formed in honor of athlete Agnes Tirop, who was stabbed to death in 2021, said stakeholders need to ensure this is the last death of an athlete due to gender-based violence.
“We are here to say that enough is enough, we are tired of burying our sisters due to GBV,” she said.
It was a somber mood at the morgue as athletes and family members viewed Cheptegei’s body which sustained 80% of burns after she was doused with gasoline by her partner Dickson Ndiema. Ndiema sustained 30% burns on his body and later succumbed.
Ndiema and Cheptegei were said to have quarreled over a piece of land that the athlete bought in Kenya, according to a report filed by the local chief.
Cheptegei competed in the women’s marathon at the Paris Olympics less than a month before the attack. She finished in 44th place.
Cheptegei’s father, Joseph, said that the body will make a brief stop at their home in the Endebess area before proceeding to Bukwo in eastern Uganda for a night vigil and burial on Saturday.
“We are in the final part of giving my daughter the last respect,” a visibly distraught Joseph said.
He told reporters last week that Ndiema was stalking and threatening Cheptegei and the family had informed police.
Four in 10 women or an estimated 41% of dating or married Kenyan women have experienced physical or sexual violence perpetrated by their current or most recent partner, according to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2022.
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — A rare Bronze-Era jar accidentally smashed by a 4-year-old visiting a museum was back on display Wednesday after restoration experts were able to carefully piece the artifact back together.
Last month, a family from northern Israel was visiting the museum when their youngest son tipped over the jar, which smashed into pieces.
Alex Geller, the boy’s father, said his son — the youngest of three — is exceptionally curious, and that the moment he heard the crash, “please let that not be my child” was the first thought that raced through his head.
The jar has been on display at the Hecht Museum in Haifa for 35 years. It was one of the only containers of its size and from that period still complete when it was discovered.
The Bronze Age jar is one of many artifacts exhibited out in the open, part of the Hecht Museum’s vision of letting visitors explore history without glass barriers, said Inbal Rivlin, the director of the museum, which is associated with Haifa University in northern Israel.
It was likely used to hold wine or oil, and dates back to between 2200 and 1500 B.C.
Rivlin and the museum decided to turn the moment, which captured international attention, into a teaching moment, inviting the Geller family back for a special visit and hands-on activity to illustrate the restoration process.
Rivlin added that the incident provided a welcome distraction from the ongoing war in Gaza. “Well, he’s just a kid. So I think that somehow it touches the heart of the people in Israel and around the world,“ said Rivlin.
Roee Shafir, a restoration expert at the museum, said the repairs would be fairly simple, as the pieces were from a single, complete jar. Archaeologists often face the more daunting task of sifting through piles of shards from multiple objects and trying to piece them together.
Experts used 3D technology, hi-resolution videos, and special glue to painstakingly reconstruct the large jar.
Less than two weeks after it broke, the jar went back on display at the museum. The gluing process left small hairline cracks, and a few pieces are missing, but the jar’s impressive size remains.
The only noticeable difference in the exhibit was a new sign reading “please don’t touch.”
VICTORIA – The British Columbia government is partnering with a bear welfare group to reduce the number of bears being euthanized in the province.
Nicholas Scapillati, executive director of Grizzly Bear Foundation, said Monday that it comes after months-long discussions with the province on how to protect bears, with the goal to give the animals a “better and second chance at life in the wild.”
Scapillati said what’s exciting about the project is that the government is open to working with outside experts and the public.
“So, they’ll be working through Indigenous knowledge and scientific understanding, bringing in the latest techniques and training expertise from leading experts,” he said in an interview.
B.C. government data show conservation officers destroyed 603 black bears and 23 grizzly bears in 2023, while 154 black bears were killed by officers in the first six months of this year.
Scapillati said the group will publish a report with recommendations by next spring, while an independent oversight committee will be set up to review all bear encounters with conservation officers to provide advice to the government.
Environment Minister George Heyman said in a statement that they are looking for new ways to ensure conservation officers “have the trust of the communities they serve,” and the panel will make recommendations to enhance officer training and improve policies.
Lesley Fox, with the wildlife protection group The Fur-Bearers, said they’ve been calling for such a committee for decades.
“This move demonstrates the government is listening,” said Fox. “I suspect, because of the impending election, their listening skills are potentially a little sharper than they normally are.”
Fox said the partnership came from “a place of long frustration” as provincial conservation officers kill more than 500 black bears every year on average, and the public is “no longer tolerating this kind of approach.”
“I think that the conservation officer service and the B.C. government are aware they need to change, and certainly the public has been asking for it,” said Fox.
Fox said there’s a lot of optimism about the new partnership, but, as with any government, there will likely be a lot of red tape to get through.
“I think speed is going to be important, whether or not the committee has the ability to make change and make change relatively quickly without having to study an issue to death, ” said Fox.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 9, 2024.
