HELLO STARSHINES!

THIS MONTH IS THE LYRID METEOR# SHOWER.

SHOWERS ARE NAMED FOR THE CONSTELLATIONS IN WHICH THEY ARE FOUND SO THIS WEEK LET’S# LOOK AT THE MUSICAL MINI: LYRA THE HARP.

HIT THE SKIES ANY NIGHT THIS WEEK, AN HOUR AFTER MIDNIGHT.

IF YOU LOOK NORTHEAST YOU# WILL SEE THE STARS OF LYRA RISING.

LYRA’S BRIGHTEST STAR IS VEGA; A BLUE-WHITE# STAR, 25 LIGHT YEARS FROM EARTH.

EARLY IN THE WEEK YOU MAY SEE A PARALLELOGRAM# JUST UNDERNEATH VEGA, THAT’S LYRA!

ALSO NEARBY IS RASALHAUGE, HEAD# OF OPHIUCHUS THE SERPENT BEARER, HERE.

THE METEROS WILL RADIATE# BETWEEN RASALHAUGE AND VEGA.

THESE METEORS ARE PART OF THE TAIL# OF COMET C/1861 THATCHER - IT’S ON A FOUR-HUNDRED TWENTY TWO YEAR ORBIT# - SO WON’T BE BACK FOR A LONG TIME, BUT WE PASS THROUGH THE DEBRIS IT LEFT# BEHIND EVERY YEAR AROUND APRIL TWENTY SECOND.

SOMETIMES THIS DEBRIS CAN CAUSE HUNDREDS# OF METEORS OR EVEN "LYRID FIREBALLS" WHICH CAN LEAVE BEHIND LINGERING# SMOKE TRAILS.

FINGERS CROSSED!

KEEP LOOKING UP!