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Lyrid meteor shower: Shooting stars and 'occasional fireballs' set to light up UK skies
Experts say the meteor shower will be visible across the UK and its peak is due to be on Tuesday night into Wednesday morning.
Amateur astronomers could be in for a treat this week as shooting stars are set to light up the night sky - and some could even see fireballs during the first major showers since January.
The Lyrid meteor shower is a burst of activity which takes place annually - usually around mid to late April - and is associated with the Comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher, according to the Royal Observatory Greenwich.
The Lyrids appear to radiate close to the constellation Lyra and are bits of rock and dust left behind by the comet.
The shower is expected to peak on Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, and there could be around 20 meteors an hour.
Experts also claim stargazers could see "occasional fireballs" that can be "bigger and brighter" than shooting stars, and last longer - "for between five and 10 seconds", as they say you could "blink and miss a meteor".
The showers will be visible across the UK, but those living in dark, rural areas are likely to see more than people living in cities where there is a lot of light pollution.
But due to the coronavirus lockdown, keen stargazers should only try and view the shower from their own homes.
Speaking to Sky News, astronomer Ed Bloom, from the Royal Observatory Greenwich, said the "radiant of the Lyrids will be low on the horizon towards the northeast as the sun sets".
He added that people would need to have "patience" - as "it could be an hour before you see anything, so wrap up warm and get comfy in your garden".
"Over the course of the night, the radiant of the Lyrids will rise and move southwards as the earth spins, and will still be up when the sun rises."
He continued: "The three bright stars Vega, Altair and Deneb form an 'asterism' known as the Summer Triangle - they can be a useful way to orientate yourself properly."
Mr Bloom shared some tips on the best way to see the showers.
He said: "The Lyrid radiant lies close to Vega, the 'top-right' vertex of the triangle, and if you can face that, just look slightly to what will now be your right.
"Peak activity is usually around the 22 April, and will have died away completely by the end of the 26th, but that still gives us a few days leeway, so if bad weather ruins your nights' observations, give it another go!"
Experts say the meteor shower will be visible across the UK and its peak is due to be on Tuesday night into Wednesday morning.
Amateur astronomers could be in for a treat this week as shooting stars are set to light up the night sky - and some could even see fireballs during the first major showers since January.
The Lyrid meteor shower is a burst of activity which takes place annually - usually around mid to late April - and is associated with the Comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher, according to the Royal Observatory Greenwich.
The Lyrids appear to radiate close to the constellation Lyra and are bits of rock and dust left behind by the comet.
The shower is expected to peak on Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, and there could be around 20 meteors an hour.
Experts also claim stargazers could see "occasional fireballs" that can be "bigger and brighter" than shooting stars, and last longer - "for between five and 10 seconds", as they say you could "blink and miss a meteor".
The showers will be visible across the UK, but those living in dark, rural areas are likely to see more than people living in cities where there is a lot of light pollution.
But due to the coronavirus lockdown, keen stargazers should only try and view the shower from their own homes.
Speaking to Sky News, astronomer Ed Bloom, from the Royal Observatory Greenwich, said the "radiant of the Lyrids will be low on the horizon towards the northeast as the sun sets".
He added that people would need to have "patience" - as "it could be an hour before you see anything, so wrap up warm and get comfy in your garden".
"Over the course of the night, the radiant of the Lyrids will rise and move southwards as the earth spins, and will still be up when the sun rises."
He continued: "The three bright stars Vega, Altair and Deneb form an 'asterism' known as the Summer Triangle - they can be a useful way to orientate yourself properly."
Mr Bloom shared some tips on the best way to see the showers.
He said: "The Lyrid radiant lies close to Vega, the 'top-right' vertex of the triangle, and if you can face that, just look slightly to what will now be your right.
"Peak activity is usually around the 22 April, and will have died away completely by the end of the 26th, but that still gives us a few days leeway, so if bad weather ruins your nights' observations, give it another go!"
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Replies: 97
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Some crazy lights in the Sky last night across parts of Britain
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Shine on you crazy diamond
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Hear the same thing every year and I'm yet to see one...
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Put the Sky Map app on your phone and use it to locate the Summer Triangle in advance so you know where to look.
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Last Night were apparently Satellites , Trump most upset was about to Declare a War of the worlds
Situation ... Some videos on line very strange looking  |
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Unfortunately were out to the West , had they been east would have had a cracking View
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will i need binoculars?
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this is the tracker for the satellites https://www.n2yo.com/?s=40619 due at 10pm ish
no, should be ok for both, seen photos of satellites and easily visible with naked eye. |
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Yes - Satellites are easy to see on a clear night.
Initially they look like the size stars - until you notice that they are moving, reasonably quickly, across the sky. Beware on a broken cloud night, though - as the CLOUD movement can make STARS appear the they are moving, and thus mistaken for being Satellites. ------------- Emiteb - Forget Binoculars - By the time that your eye catches one of the meteors sliding across the sky, in a slash, or, indeed, a flash - it will be too late to find it with Binoculars. You will easily see the, QUICK, bright line shoot across the sky. That is why they are also called - Shooting Stars. |
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Tonight or not tonight?
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satellites defo tonight 10 ish, meteors should be around but more random
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May see some tonight - and for a few nights this week - But ...
The shower is expected to peak on Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, and there could be around 20 meteors an hour. Experts also claim stargazers could see "occasional fireballs" that can be "bigger and brighter" than shooting stars, and last longer - "for between five and 10 seconds", as they say you could "blink and miss a meteor". The showers will be visible across the UK, but those living in dark, rural areas are likely to see more than people living in cities where there is a lot of light pollution. ----------- Look mostly towards the NORTH-EAST |
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Venus is out and bright? is that where i should be looking around 10pm?
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She’s got it
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You need to look for Vincent Vega.
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It was a beautiful day here today, not a cloud in the sky.
Not until now  |
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clear as a bell here...
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22:05 and 22:06 2 satellites from west to east... was one the space station?
no shooting stars, gonna try tomorrow. |
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Any sign of them ??
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They may contain the COVID-19 vaccine
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Sweet F.A here |
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Zero here.. but for the 2 satellites. Bit chilly out there tbh.
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saw venus , mars and a bat
space station isnt due for about 9hrs |
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so what were the two stars flying east to west at 2205?
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way too fast to be a plane
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they were satellites( almost certainly )
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*dont get confused with satellites and the space station, 2 different things.
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Shhhh, you weren’t supposed to see them.
You’ll have the men in black round if you say too much. |
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so, what are satellites up to?
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Satellite's gone way up to Mars
Soon it'll be filled with parkin' cars I watched it for a little while I love to watch things on TV |
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Ok angoose, Im drinking red wine.... Give me a clue
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58gjuawF5Hc
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Lou Reed, Satellite of Love
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Really... hmmm How many has he got?
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The spectacle of satellites passing over the UK in what looks like a chain of lights should be visible for the rest of the week, space experts say.
The 60 Starlink satellites launched by Elon Musk's SpaceX firm appear in a line crossing the night sky. They were launched into space in March but their current orbital position has made them easier to see in recent days. Stargazers have been using apps and websites to check when they can spot the display. SpaceX has sent 300 satellites into space so far towards a planned network of 12,000, with the aim of improving global internet coverage. They have been taken up in batches of 60, with the most recent launch in mid-March. |
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The most recent line of satellites has been spotted in Derbyshire, Manchester, London, Leeds and across Europe, with many people sharing their excitement on social media.
The National Space Centre in Leicester said each batch was deployed to an orbit about 180 miles above Earth and had moved to about 340 miles away. Sophie Allan, from the centre, said current good visibility was down to a combination of the batch's low orbit, clear night skies and the angle of the satellites in relation to the sun. She said she expected this to continue for at least another five days. Several websites and apps allow people to track the current locations of the satellites, with the next UK display expected shortly before 22:00 BST on Monday. However, the project has been criticised by some astronomers who have branded the space technology an eyesore. |