[LeArc] A Meteor Shower

[Duane Whittingham]

A Meteor Shower...

The annual Lyrid meteor shower should reach its 
peak activity late Friday night and early 
Saturday morning, April 21­ & 22. The Moon, a 
thick waning crescent, doesn't rise till about an 
hour before morning twilight begins, so it will 
hardly interfere with the shower at all this 
year. Still, the Lyrids are generally weak. Even 
at their maximum only 10 to 20 "shooting stars" per hour may appear.

But there have been some remarkable exceptions. 
In 1982 the rate unexpectedly reached 90 for a 
single hour, and 180 to 300 for a few minutes. A 
brief outburst of 100 meteors per hour was also seen in 1922.
And on April 20, 1803, the residents of Richmond, 
Virginia, upon being rousted out of bed by a fire 
bell, were startled to see great numbers of meteors in all parts of the sky.

The time to watch will be late Friday night, 
April 21st, until the first light of dawn on 
Saturday morning the 22nd. You'll need no 
equipment but your eyes. Find a spot with an open 
view of the sky and no bright lights nearby. Then 
get comfy in a chair and be patient!

-------------------------------------------------------
Amateur Radio Operator
Duane Whittingham - N9SSN
Skywarn, ARES/RACES, EMA/ESDA
Red Cross and SATERN