Latest news with #MeteoroidEnvironmentOffice
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Where can you see Eta Aquarids meteor shower? What to know in Michigan
Michigan stargazers will soon get the chance to glimpse spring's next meteor shower, the Eta Aquarids. The Eta Aquarids meteor shower will peak May 5-6, according to NASA. The annual shower can bring fast meteors, with up to 50 per hour during the peak. Spring's previous meteor shower, the Lyrids, peaked in late April. Here's what to know. The Eta Aquarids, or Eta Aquariids, is an annual shower of meteors shooting through the night sky as they come into Earth's atmosphere, per NASA. The meteors appear in the area of the constellation Aquarius in the sky. The Eta Aquarid runs April 20 to May 21, NASA says. The meteor shower will peak May 5-6. Look for a clear, open area to view the meteors in Michigan's skies. Keep an eye on the weather forecast closer to the peak to find out local viewing chances. Michigan is home to six dark sky state parks, three international dark sky parks and an international dark sky sanctuary. The Alpena area has three Dark Sky Preserves: Rockport State Recreation Area, Thompson's Harbor State Park and Negwegon State Park. In Mackinaw City, Headlands International Dark Sky Park. In Empire, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. In Munising, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. In Paradise, the Great Lakes Museum and Whitefish Point Light Station and Tahquamenon Falls State Park. In Port Austin, Port Crescent State Park. In Clayton, Lake Hudson Recreation Area. In Carp Lake, Wilderness State Park. Keweenaw Dark Sky Park in Keweenaw County and Dr. T.K. Lawless Park in Cass County are international spots. And, finally, the Beaver Island State Wildlife Research Area is an international sanctuary. The Eta Aquarids can be viewed during the pre-dawn hours, NASA said. While viewing chances will be better in the southern hemisphere, Michigan viewers could glimpse "earthgrazers," long meteors near the horizon. Bill Cooke, the lead for the Meteoroid Environment Office at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, suggested viewing the meteors from 2 a.m. until dawn, per "The Etas are not a shower that you can go out to see after sunset because the radiant won't be up," Cooke wrote. Here are some general viewing tips from the space agency: Find an area well away from street lights and the light pollution of cities. Come prepared with a sleeping bag, blanket or lawn chair. Lie flat on your back with your feet facing the east and look up, taking in as much of the sky as possible. It should take less than 30 minutes for your eyes to adapt so that you can see streaking meteors. But be patient, NASA warns: the show will last until dawn. Meteor showers occur when the Earth passes through dusty debris trails left by comets and broken asteroid bits as they orbit the sun, NASA says. The debris collides with Earth's atmosphere at high speed and disintegrates, creating fiery and colorful streaks in the sky. The Eta Aquarids debris comes from comet 1P/Halley, named for English astronomer Edmond Halley, who discovered it in 1705, NASA said. The comet is expected to next enter the inner solar system in 2061, as it takes 76 years to orbit the sun. The Delta Aquariid meteor shower is set to peak July 30, 2025, per Those are words that sound similar, but there are important differences. More: April's Pink Moon is waning. When is the next full moon over Michigan? Meteoroid: A body in space. Asteroids are larger rocks in space, but there's no official distinction. Meteor: A body passing through the atmosphere. If the meteor is large enough to show some dimensions or sparks, it's often called a fireball. Meteorite: A meteor that survives the fall to the Earth's surface. Meteor shower: When we see a lot of meteors streaking across the sky in a small amount of time, usually a matter of a few days. More: Bird migration map 2025: How to track their journey to Michigan The next full moon, May's Flower Moon, will peak in mid-May. Contact Jenna Prestininzi: jprestininzi@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Eta Aqaurids meteor shower: When to see it in Michigan
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
What time is the meteor shower tonight? How to see Lyrids before they're gone
After celebrating Earth Day, take some time to view some stars that are out of this world. There are only a few more nights of the Lyrid meteor shower, a fast and bright shower that produces roughly 15 to 20 meteors per hour. This year, it is expected to be up to 18 meteors per hour. NASA said that you should be able to see the meteors roughly after 10 p.m., but here's how to see the meteors and get the best experience. According to NASA, the Lyrids will start after 10 p.m. CT. 'This year, the light from the crescent Moon will not interfere too much with the viewing, but it is best to look away from the Moon, preferably placing it behind you,' said Bill Cooke, leader of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office. Cooke noted that this year, there should be around five to six meteors per hour around 4:30 a.m. The Lyrid Meteor Shower happens in the constellation Lyra, which sits just above the northeast horizon. To find the constellation, look for the star Vega, which is one of the brightest stars in the sky. It is recommended that you move away from the city or streetlights to minimize light pollution while observing. Cooke also recommends lying on your back so you can take in as much sky as possible. Also, try not to ruin your night vision once your eyes have adjusted to the night light. This also means during long lulls between meteors, try to be patient. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Meteor shower tonight: See Lyrids in Oklahoma before they're gone
Indian Express
22-04-2025
- Science
- Indian Express
Lyrid Meteor Shower: Know when and where to watch the celestial event
In a treat to sky gazers, meteor shower is back in America with the Lyrid meteor shower which is projected to illustrate the skies from April 17-26 and it is reported to peak on the night of April 21 through April 22, according to American Meteor Society. During the dark sky, onlookers can view up to 18 meteors per hour when Lyrid shower is at its peak but the waning crescent moon this time around is poised to play spoilsport as it'll make it tough to spot the meteor shower. According to NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office lead, Dr. Bill Cooke, 'Most meteors you see (during a Lyrid shower) are not brilliant fireballs, they are faint little streaks and the more moonlight there is, it tends to wash out those faint little streaks,' reported CNN. A meteor streaks the sky over the shipwreck of cargo ship Dimitrios on Valtaki beach, near the town of Gytheio, Greece. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis When and Where to watch Lyrid meteor shower Even after the hindrance of waning crescent moon, the Lyrid meteor shower can be viewed in the Northern Hemisphere in consonant with the local weather conditions between 10 pm local time on April 21 and 4:30 am April 22. Sky gazers can expect around five streaking lights per hour appearing via the Lyrid meteor shower. For an optimal viewing experience of the Lyrid meteor shower, Dr. Bill Cooke recommends lying down in an open environment with almost zero light pollution. April is bringing shooting stars 🌠💫 The Lyrid meteor shower is set to light up the night! Peaking on April 22–23, the Lyrids offer a celestial spectacle with up to 20 meteors per hour. — NASA Langley Research Center (@NASA_Langley) April 2, 2025 According to a NASA blogpost, the Lyrid meteor shower will be visible after about 10:30pm and the best viewing time is reported to be 5am. The waning crescent moon, which is poised to play spoilsport, will rise around 3:30am but NASA has said that since the moon would be only 27% full, it shouldn't interfere too much with meteor viewing. What to expect during meteor shower A meteor is formed when a comet leaves a trail of ice and dust while it is moving at thousands of miles per hour. The meteors hit the atmosphere of Earth and thereafter they slow down, which transmits heat and that is the flash visible in the skies. The Lyrid's parent comet remains obscure, and it is named C/1861 G1 (Thatcher). It is a long period comet and its orbit is of around 422 years, which is expected to return in 2283. It was discovered by A E Thatcher.
San Francisco Chronicle
21-04-2025
- Science
- San Francisco Chronicle
Want to see the Lyrid meteor shower? Here's how to have the best chance in the Bay Area
The Lyrid meteor shower peaks Monday night, providing Bay Area stargazers with an opportunity to spot meteors. Local weather conditions should generally cooperate, though coastal areas are more likely to be foggy. There may be a few passing high clouds along the bay shoreline and inland, but Chronicle meteorologists expect conditions to be clear before midnight. The moon also shouldn't be a problem, as it was in previous years. 'The light from the crescent moon will not interfere too much with the viewing, but it is best to look away from the moon, preferably placing it behind you,' said Bill Cooke, who leads NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office at the agency's Marshall Space Flight Center, in a statement. The best time for meteor showers is generally between midnight and dawn, said Andrew Fraknoi, an astronomy professor at the Fromm Institute at the University of San Francisco. Experts recommend that Bay Area residents seek out the darkest locations they can and give their eyes time to adjust to the darkness. And, importantly, be patient. 'It's not like fireworks,' Fraknoi said. The Lyrid meteor shower occurs every year, when the Earth passes through debris left in the wake of Comet Thatcher. The comet's orbit around the sun takes just over four centuries to complete. While the peak of the event is Monday night, meteors will be visible through April 26. Comets are mostly made up of ice, but they also contain dust and rocky material. 'It's really cosmic dirt,' Fraknoi said. 'These are leftover chunks from the beginning of the solar system.' As comets travel closer to the sun, ice vaporizes and debris is left behind. When Earth's orbit passes through the trail of cosmic dirt, particles fly through the planet's atmosphere and burn up. 'You see a streak of light,' said Gerald McKeegan, an adjunct astronomer at Chabot Space & Science Center. 'That is a meteor.' The Lyrid meteor shower doesn't tend to produce long, glowing trains as meteors streak through the night sky. But meteors can produce occasional bright flashes. Unlike the Perseids or the Geminids, 'this is kind of a modest meteor shower,' McKeegan said. 'You're only going to see 15 or 20 meteors in the course of an hour, and that's only if you're in a dark sky location.' That figure is based on rates during peaks of Lyrid meteor showers in previous years. Some years, however, the Lyrid has surprised watchers with as many as 100 meteors per hour. The Lyrid meteor shower is so named because meteors appear to originate from the vicinity of the constellation Lyra. But meteors can appear anywhere in the night sky. 'The more of the sky you can scan, the more likely you'll be to actually see a meteor,' Fraknoi said.
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Lyrids Meteor Shower Peaking Tuesday: Get Outside and Watch the Fireballs
If you're up late or early this week, there's some dazzling activity going on in the sky you can check out. The Lyrids meteor shower will reach its peak early Tuesday morning, when its barrage of space rocks meets the atmosphere in the eastern sky. "You will begin to see Lyrids after 10 p.m. local time," said Bill Cooke, who leads NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. "This year, the light from the crescent moon will not interfere too much with the viewing, but it is best to look away from the moon, preferably placing it behind you." Read more: Here's a Look Ahead at the Year in Meteor Showers From Earth, Lyrids meteors tend to look unique, because they usually don't leave the glowing trails of dust that often come with meteor showers. However, Lyrids meteors are known to create occasional "fireballs," or bright flashes in the sky. City lights make it hard to see the sky's natural features. For the best chance to catch the Lyrids, head away from towns and suburbs to a dark sky in the country. Bring a blanket or sleeping bag, so you can gaze up. For the best results, try not to look at your phone screen -- the light from the device makes it harder for your eyes to adjust -- and just stare up at the sky. TikTok will be there when you get back. "In less than 30 minutes in the dark, your eyes will adapt, and you will begin to see meteors," Cooke said. The point where a meteor shower appears to originate from is called the radiant. To find the radiant of the Lyrids, look near the constellation Lyra, which is where the Lyrid meteor shower gets its name. The brightest star in the Lyra constellation is Vega. It shines so bright that careful observers might even spot Vega in an area with light pollution. For the meteor shower tonight, look away from the variant a bit, as the Lyrids will appear "longer and more spectacular from this perspective," according to NASA. Five or six meteors could be visible by 4:30 a.m. CT., Cooke said. But, in the past, the Lyrids meteor shower, which visits Earth every April, has surprised lucky skywatchers with as many as 100 meteors per hour. The bits of space rock that create the Lyrids come from comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher, named for A. E. Thatcher, who discovered it in 1861. The Lyrids are one of the oldest known meteor showers. We've got a full guide to the entire year in meteor showers.
