Latest news with #NickMoskovitz
Time of India
21-04-2025
- Science
- Time of India
Lyrid meteor shower peaks on Tuesday - Know the best time to watch the breathtaking ‘fireballs' on April 22
The Lyrid meteor shower , one of the oldest recorded astronomical events in human history, is active today and will peak overnight Monday, April 21, through Tuesday, April 22, 2025. This year's peak should produce up to 18 meteors per hour, including the occasional breathtaking "fireball"—a very bright meteor whose trail glows for a longer, more glowing period. These brief flashes of light are easiest to observe in early morning hours, especially a few minutes before sunrise, when the skies are blackest and conditions in the atmosphere are best. Lyrid meteor shower 2025: Date and time Even though the Lyrids are active from April 17 through April 26, their maximum is at 13:00 UTC on April 22, or 8:00 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time. According to witness for the best show during the early morning hours of April 22 being at the peak of the meteor shower, ideally between 3:00 am to 5:00 am, just before dawn Like all astronomical views, the most enjoyable experience is in a dark location away from city lights and with an open, expansive view of the sky. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Free P2,000 GCash eGift UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo What is the Lyrid meteor shower The Lyrids are among the most ancient, recorded meteor showers, dating back more than 2,700 years. They're caused by fragments of Comet Thatcher (C/1861 G1), which takes 415 years to orbit the Sun. As Earth travels through the comet's trail of particles, the pieces burn up in our atmosphere and produce the characteristic shooting-star appearance. Though the Lyrids are not the most opulent meteor shower of the year, they do deliver some spectacular sights. At their peak, on average, look for 10 to 20 meteors per hour. Occasionally, they catch us off guard with outbursts of as many as 100 meteors per hour, a phenomenon called an "outburst"—though not a promise. What makes the Lyrid meteor shower unique What sets apart the Lyrid meteor shower is its historical importance and surprising appeal. Although yearly showers are, on average, moderate in most years, the Lyrids are known for their surprising outbursts. Dr. Nick Moskovitz, astronomer at Lowell Observatory, recounts a vivid story a decade ago when meteor levels suddenly spiked at more than 100 per hour. Such a phenomenon, according to him, was completely beyond expectations and bears testimony to how unpredictable this shower is. This diversity is a consequence of the Lyrids' uncommon origin. The parent of the Lyrids is Comet C/1861 G1 (Thatcher), a quite long-period, quite less famous comet last to have passed through the inner solar system in 1861. As per a Forbes report, it will not appear again until the year 2283. Because Thatcher is far less familiar than some of the more periodic comets, every yearly Lyrid spectacle is a show of scientific interest and popular amazement. Science behind the Lyrid meteor shower Meteor showers such as the Lyrids happen when Earth crosses the paths of comet debris. The particles—anything from minute dust to pebble-sized bits of rock—travel at high speed toward the planet. As they disintegrate on entry into the atmosphere, they burst into light, also known as "shooting stars." The Lyrids are especially favoured by astronomers due to the broad size spectrum of particles within the debris trail of the comet. The particles range from as small as grains of talcum powder to as big as grapefruits, says Moskovitz. It is this diversity that creates not just standard meteors but also the more dramatic fireballs, which light up the sky with incandescent streaks that last a few seconds. Where to catch the Lyrids meteor shower and what's next Although the Lyrids are most visible from the Northern Hemisphere, southern latitude observers can still see the event, particularly late evening and early morning. As always, local weather, moon, and light pollution will determine the quality of visibility. Viewers in search of optimal viewing should find dark-sky sites with open horizons and minimal artificial light contamination. The Lyrids are not the end of sky displays. They are closely followed by the Eta Aquariid meteor shower, which reaches its peak from April 19 until May 28. The shower is likely to reach its peak on Monday morning, May 5, at a pace of 40 to 60 meteors per hour. The Eta Aquariids are generated from Halley's Comet's left-behind wreckage, providing a tremendous opportunity once again to catch a glimpse of ancient sky residents illuminating the air. Lyrid meteor shower viewing tips No need for distant areas: You can view the Lyrids from anywhere, provided you are outside city lights. Best views in the Northern Hemisphere: Although visible from both hemispheres, the Northern Hemisphere tends to have a better view. Ideal locations: Select areas such as the countryside, seashore, or a low-light suburban area. Simple setup: A reclining chair, picnic blanket, or sleeping bag is just fine. Let your eyes get accustomed: Take 15 to 30 minutes in darkness (no phone!). Keep your eye relaxed and wide ; no need for telescopes or binoculars, as they will narrow your field. Also Read | New microcontinent found between Greenland and Canada sheds light on tectonic history
Forbes
20-04-2025
- Science
- Forbes
Lyrid Meteor Shower ‘Fireballs' To Peak Monday — Exactly When To Watch
The Lyrid meteor shower, one of the oldest known displays of shooting stars, is already underway and will peak overnight on Monday-Tuesday, April 21-22, with about 18 meteors per hour expected—including some super-bright fireballs. The Lyrid meteor shower runs from April 17-26 but will peak on the night of Monday, April 21, through Tuesday, April 22. According to the American Meteor Society, the peak is around 13:00 UTC on April 22 (08:00 a.m. EDT on April 22). The early hours after midnight — when any location on Earth is the darkest — is the best time to look up. Though its 'shooting stars' will appear to have come from the constellation Lyra in the eastern sky, they can appear anywhere in the sky. Lyra, centered on the bright star Vega, is rising in the northeastern night sky a few hours after dark this month. The later you look, the higher Lyra will be, and the more chance you'll have of a better display. 'View them after about 10:30 p.m. local time until dawn, with the best viewing around 5 a.m.,' reads a blog post published by NASA. 'The waning crescent moon will rise around 3:30 a.m. [local time], but at only 27% full, it shouldn't interfere too much with your meteor watching.' The Lyrids are best seen from the Northern Hemisphere but can also be seen from south of the equator. The number of meteors is hard to predict, and it can vary. 'About 10 years ago, the Lyrids had an unexpected outburst,' said Dr. Nick Moskovitz, expert astronomer at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, in an interview. 'Nobody saw it coming, and we saw over 100 meteors per hour.' Most meteor showers are caused by dust and debris left in the inner solar system by a comet, but for the Lyrids, it's the rather mysterious C/1861 G1 (Thatcher). 'The Lyrids' parent comet is obscure; nobody knows much about it,' said Moskovitz. 'The last time it was in our neck of the woods in the solar system was back in 1861, and it won't be back around in this part of the solar system until 2283." Meteors are caused by small particles of rock and dust left in the inner solar system by a comet, entering Earth's atmosphere and burning up, releasing energy as photons of light. Fireballs are particularly bright meteors that can have a long train behind them. 'The Lyrids have a wide range of particle sizes, from talcum powder to grapefruit-sized particles,' said Moskovitz. 'They're unique due to the large particles left behind by Comet Thatcher.' The next meteor shower will be the Eta Aquarids, which runs from April 19 through May 28, peaking in the early hours of Monday, May 5, when around 40-60 shooting stars are expected per hour. The Eta Aquariids are the product of Halley's Comet. One Community. Many Voices. Create a free account to share your thoughts. Our community is about connecting people through open and thoughtful conversations. We want our readers to share their views and exchange ideas and facts in a safe space. In order to do so, please follow the posting rules in our site's Terms of Service. We've summarized some of those key rules below. Simply put, keep it civil. Your post will be rejected if we notice that it seems to contain: User accounts will be blocked if we notice or believe that users are engaged in: So, how can you be a power user? Thanks for reading our community guidelines. Please read the full list of posting rules found in our site's Terms of Service.
Forbes
19-04-2025
- Science
- Forbes
A Major Meteor Shower Begins This Week: When To See It At Its Best
The Lyrids, the first meteor shower since January and one of the oldest known is set to begin on Thursday, April 17, 2025, though the peak in the early hours of Tuesday, April 22. During that peak, about 18 'shooting stars,' some very bright fireballs, are expected each hour. Vector illustration of a Lyrids Meteor Shower April event web banner design template. Fully ... More editable vector eps and high resolution jpg in download. Royalty free design. After a few months of little-to-no meteor activity, everything changes in spring in the Northern Hemisphere with the Lyrid meteor shower, famous for bright 'fireball' shooting stars. Fireballs are defined as meteors about the same brightness as Venus. Occurring April 17-26 this year, the Lyrids typically produce good rates of bright meteors for three nights centered on the maximum, according to the American Meteor Society. That makes Monday, April 21, Tuesday, April 22 and Wednesday, April 23, good nights. However, clear and dark skies are essential, so the early hours after midnight — when any location on Earth is the darkest — is the best time to look up. Lyrids are best seen from the Northern Hemisphere because they appear to emanate from the constellation Lyra, which is centered upon the bright star Vega. It's rising in the northeastern night sky after dark. The Lyrid meteor shower is the product of dust and debris left in the inner solar system by long-period comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher, which takes 422 years to orbit the sun. It last looped around our star in 1861 and won't return until 2283. 'It's obscure comet that nobody really knows much about because it spends most of its time far away, where we can't even see it with even our most powerful telescopes,' said Dr. Nick Moskovitz at Lowell Observatory, in an interview. Meteors are caused by small particles of rock and dust from a comet entering Earth's atmosphere and burning up, releasing energy as photons of light. According to NASA, they come from leftover comet particles and bits from broken asteroids. 'Comet Thatcher has a wide range of little particles that fall off its surface, from very small fine grain stuff, like talcum powder, to much larger particles like marbles, even apples, oranges and grapefruits,' said Moskovitz. 'That means a wide range of brightnesses — and some of the Lyrid meteors can be spectacular fireball meteors that leave what we call a persistent train in the atmosphere.' Fireballs result from really big meteors exciting atoms in the Earth's atmosphere that get ionized. 'That ionized trail of particles can persist for a long time after the meteor comes in,' said Moskovitz. The best way to watch a meteor shower is to treat it as a stargazing session. Be outside in the pre-dawn hours on the peak night and watch the skies. Don't look at your smartphone — its bright white light will kill your night vision and make the 'shooting stars' much harder to see. Keep artificial lights — including street and security lights — out of your vision. Although the 'shooting stars' will appear to have traveled from close to Vega, meteor showers are all-sky events, so you can look anywhere in the night sky. Hot on the heels of the Lyrids will come the Eta Aquariids, a meteor shower that will run from April 19 through May 28, peaking in the early hours of Monday, May 5. About 40-60 'shooting stars' are expected per hour. The Eta Aquariids are the product of Halley's Comet, the most famous comet. This short-period comet last visited the inner solar system in 1986 and is next due in 2061. This meteor shower is best seen in the Southern Hemisphere since its radiant point is the constellation Aquarius, which is low in the southeast as seen from the Northern Hemisphere.
Forbes
15-04-2025
- Science
- Forbes
A Major Meteor Shower Has Begun: When To See It At Its Best
The Lyrids, the first meteor shower since January and one of the oldest known is set to begin on Tuesday, April 15, 2025, though the peak in the early hours of Tuesday, April 22. During that peak, about 18 'shooting stars,' some very bright fireballs, are expected each hour. After a few months of little-to-no meteor activity, everything changes in spring in the Northern Hemisphere with the Lyrid meteor shower, famous for bright 'fireball' shooting stars. Fireballs are defined as meteors about the same brightness as Venus. Occurring April 15-29 this year, the Lyrids typically produce good rates of bright meteors for three nights centered on the maximum, according to the American Meteor Society. That makes Monday, April 21, Tuesday, April 22 and Wednesday, April 23, good nights. However, clear and dark skies are essential, so the early hours after midnight — when any location on Earth is the darkest — is the best time to look up. Lyrids are best seen from the Northern Hemisphere because they appear to emanate from the constellation Lyra, which is centered upon the bright star Vega. It's rising in the northeastern night sky after dark. The Lyrid meteor shower is the product of dust and debris left in the inner solar system by long-period comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher, which takes 422 years to orbit the sun. It last looped around our star in 1861 and won't return until 2283. 'It's obscure comet that nobody really knows much about because it spends most of its time far away, where we can't even see it with even our most powerful telescopes,' said Dr. Nick Moskovitz at Lowell Observatory, in an interview. Meteors are caused by small particles of rock and dust from a comet entering Earth's atmosphere and burning up, releasing energy as photons of light. According to NASA, they come from leftover comet particles and bits from broken asteroids. 'Comet Thatcher has a wide range of little particles that fall off its surface, from very small fine grain stuff, like talcum powder, to much larger particles like marbles, even apples, oranges and grapefruits,' said Moskovitz. 'That means a wide range of brightnesses — and some of the Lyrid meteors can be spectacular fireball meteors that leave what we call a persistent train in the atmosphere.' Fireballs result from really big meteors exciting atoms in the Earth's atmosphere that get ionized. 'That ionized trail of particles can persist for a long time after the meteor comes in,' said Moskovitz. The best way to watch a meteor shower is to treat it as a stargazing session. Be outside in the pre-dawn hours on the peak night and watch the skies. Don't look at your smartphone — its bright white light will kill your night vision and make the 'shooting stars' much harder to see. Keep artificial lights — including street and security lights — out of your vision. Although the 'shooting stars' will appear to have traveled from close to Vega, meteor showers are all-sky events, so you can look anywhere in the night sky. Hot on the heels of the Lyrids will come the Eta Aquarids, a meteor shower that will run from April 19 through May 28, peaking in the early hours of Monday, May 5. About 40-60 'shooting stars' are expected per hour. The Eta Aquariids are the product of Halley's Comet, the most famous comet. This short-period comet last visited the inner solar system in 1986 and is next due in 2061. This meteor shower is best seen in the Southern Hemisphere since its radiant point is the constellation Aquarius, which is low in the southeast as seen from the Northern Hemisphere. One Community. Many Voices. Create a free account to share your thoughts. Our community is about connecting people through open and thoughtful conversations. We want our readers to share their views and exchange ideas and facts in a safe space. In order to do so, please follow the posting rules in our site's Terms of Service. We've summarized some of those key rules below. Simply put, keep it civil. Your post will be rejected if we notice that it seems to contain: User accounts will be blocked if we notice or believe that users are engaged in: So, how can you be a power user? Thanks for reading our community guidelines. Please read the full list of posting rules found in our site's Terms of Service.
CBS News
06-03-2025
- Science
- CBS News
How "asteroid detectives" are protecting Earth from potentially dangerous impacts: "Find them before they find you"
Astronomers believe that 14,000 undiscovered near-Earth objects like asteroids, large enough to cause damage, could be in space. Recently, NASA was tracking a large asteroid flying past Earth known as the so-called "city killer." "This one got a lot of attention because it rose to a threat level that we just have not seen very often. We knew we had to monitor it and try to understand everything we could about it, not just where it is, but what is it made of? What size is it?" astronomer Nick Moskovitz said. Moskovitz says he's become an "asteroid detective," working to protect Earth from a possible disaster. "Find them before they find you. The sooner you find them, the more options you have for deflecting potentially hazardous asteroids," Moskovitz said. In 2022, NASA performed a first-of-its-kind test. The agency intentionally crashed a spacecraft into a small asteroid, nudging it just enough to change its trajectory. The mission gave the space agency a tool that could potentially be used to counter an asteroid heading for our planet. "It's the only natural disaster that we could potentially prevent," said NASA's acting planetary defense officer Kelly Fast. "And if you were to find an impact threat to Earth well enough in advance, then you wouldn't have to deflect it much for it to be able to miss the Earth in the future." The Lowell Discovery Telescope in northern Arizona is one of a handful around the world searching the night sky for asteroids that could potentially threaten Earth. "We can see orders of magnitude fainter than you would be able to with your naked eye," Moskovitz explained. 2024 YR4, "city killer" asteroid Since December, Moskovitz had the Lowell Discovery Telescope trained on the 2024 YR4 asteroid. Scientists at one point projected it had about a 3% chance of hitting Earth in 2032. 2024 YR4 is now expected to miss Earth and "no longer poses a significant threat," according to a recent analysis from NASA. It has approximately a 0.004% chance of hitting the planet in eight years, new calculations show. "The latest observations have further reduced the uncertainty of its future trajectory, and the range of possible locations the asteroid could be on Dec. 22, 2032, has moved farther away from the Earth," NASA said. However, there is a 1.7% chance that it could impact the moon. Previous impacts of asteroids In 2013, a small asteroid, just 60 feet wide, exploded over Russia, injuring more than 1,600 people. An asteroid big enough to wipe out an entire city crashed to Earth 50,000 years ago in what is now northern Arizona. It left a crater that was three quarters of a mile wide and 600 feet deep.
