Lyrids meteor shower could bring fast, bright flashes this weekend

One of the oldest known meteor showers will peak this weekend, with Canadians and others in the Northern Hemisphere expected to get some of the best views.

Known for its fast and bright meteors, the Lyrids will peak Saturday night, with an estimated 18 meteors, travelling up to 47 kilometres per second, able to be viewed each hour.

“Though not as fast or as plentiful as the famous Perseids in August, Lyrids can surprise watchers with as many as 100 meteors seen per hour,” NASA says, adding such sightings have occurred at least four times between 1803 and 1982 in the U.S., Greece and Japan.

“Lyrids don’t tend to leave long, glowing dust trains behind them as they streak through the Earth’s atmosphere, but they can produce the occasional bright flash called a fireball,” NASA says.

The Lyrids have been observed for 2,700 years and their first recorded sighting dates back to 687 BC by the Chinese, NASA says.

Their name is based on the point in the sky where they appear to come from, known as the radiant, which in this case is near the constellation Lyra.

In Greek mythology, the constellation represents the stringed instrument lyre played by the Greek hero Orpheus.

The Lyrids are created by space debris from comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher, which was discovered on April 5, 1861, by A. E. Thatcher.

NASA says the Lyrids are best viewed at night in the Northern Hemisphere, in an area away from city or streetlights.

“Come prepared with a sleeping bag, blanket, or lawn chair. Lie flat on your back with your feet facing east and look up, taking in as much of the sky as possible,” the agency says.

“After about 30 minutes in the dark, your eyes will adapt and you will begin to see meteors. Be patient — the show will last until dawn, so you have plenty of time to catch a glimpse.”

The meteors will appear to come from the area near the star Vega, the brightest star in the Lyra constellation.

But NASA says it is better to view the meteors away from the radiant since “they will appear longer and more spectacular from this perspective.”

“If you do look directly at the radiant, you will find that the meteors will be short – this is an effect of perspective called foreshortening.”

The Lyrids are one of 12 meteor showers that will appear this year, the first one being the Quadrantids in early January.

After the Lyrids, the next expected meteor shower is the Eta Aquariids from May 5 to 6.

With files from CNN