The Night Sky April 2018
The Lyrids Meteor Shower
This month, (22nd & 23rd) the Earth will pass through the path of Comet Thatcher which orbits the sun every 415 years (Not Margaret making a fiery return, but named after the astronomer who discovered it in 1861!)
As the Earth goes around the sun we cross its path at the same time each year. The comet leaves behind a trail of small fragments and when they hit our atmosphere at 110,000 miles per hour they streak across our night sky. Tiny grains travelling at massive speeds can create huge streaks across the sky, that can last seconds. The pieces all seem to originate from the same place in the sky called the radiant. The radiant is very close to the constellation of Lyra, hence the meteor shower being called the Lyrids.
It is always best to check if the moon is going to drown out the sky. If you can wait until the early hours, the moon will have set and you should be treated to the display – always providing it is clear! Try and pick a spot that has a wide view with the radiant in front of you. Get a reclining chair or even a sun lounger to be really comfortable. Instead of staring at a single point, relax your eyes as the steaks may not appear immediately from the radiant but travel across the sky to suddenly light up. If you have never done this before I really recommend you try it. So how many will you see? About 10 to 20 per hour, although all meteor showers are hard to predict.
There are other Meteor Showers later this year and the great news is that the two main and reliable ones will take place without the moon spoiling the show! I’ll let you know nearer the time.
Lyra
This month, looking North East from Embsay towards Grassington over the Yorkshire Dales National Park, you will see a small constellation which rises successively higher each night - called Lyra. It is quite difficult to spot but does have quite a brilliant star included within it called Vega to help us find it. This star is the 2nd brightest star in the Northern Hemisphere. Believe it or not, it was once the pole star in 12,000BC and will be again sometime in the distant future. The constellation is associated with Greek mythology. Lyra, the musical instrument, was played to drown out the call of the sirens by the Argonauts as they sailed past where many had crashed on the rocks.
I’ve included 3 main sources of information or tools that I use regularly to help me understand the night sky.
Philip’s 2018 Stargazing. Month-by-month Guide to the Night Sky. ISBN 978-1-84907-464-3
This is a great summary of the highlights to look out for each month.
Stellarium Planetarium Software. (Free)
This displays a realistic view of the night sky on your computer. You can change location or date- like your very own time machine!
Astro Panel Android App
This small programme for your mobile will tell you about cloud cover and moon phase. I use this all the time as it gives you three days’ advanced warning of a clear night! Well, it is as good as anything can predict, given our weather!
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