The Lyrid meteor shower: what it is and when it can be seen

The Lyrid meteor shower, which we can observe every year, began on April 14, but we will see its peak on the morning of April 23. A meteor shower is a phenomenon during which we see bright streaks of light in the sky. Some people call them "shooting stars". A meteor shower occurs when comet fragments enter the Earth's atmosphere and burn up.

On April 23, at 04:00 am Kyiv time, at the peak of the Lyrid meteor shower, you will be able to watch a real light show. By the way, the meteor shower got such an interesting name because the debris comes from the constellation Lyra.

This was reported by the Daily Mail.

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Scientists say that the stones from the meteor shower enter the Earth's atmosphere at a speed of 180 thousand km/h, heating up to 1600 degrees Celsius. This is the reason for the bright glow.

The Lyrid meteor shower was the first phenomenon discovered by astronomers. It happened in China in 687 BC. Astronomers advise observing the meteor shower outside the city, where the sky is clearer. Shooting stars can be seen with the naked eye: on Sunday night, 18 shining meteors will appear in the sky every hour.

If you miss the meteor shower on April 23, you will have a chance to watch another one on May 6. Then 50 "shooting stars" per hour are expected.

As a reminder, on the night of April 20, a strong flash was recorded in the sky over Kyiv. It is believed that it was a meteorite.

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