Ufa residents will be able to observe Lyrid Meteor Shower in coming days

UFA, 17 April 2017. /Bashinform News Agency, Alfiya Agliullina/. In the coming days in the whole territory of Russia it will be possible to observe the Lyrid Meteor Shower. The activity of the meteor shower will last until April 25. During this period, the Earth passes through a cloud of dust particles left by the tail of Comet Thatcher. As a result, dust particles crash into the Earth's atmosphere at a speed of 49 km/sec and burn creating a beautiful effect of a falling star. In clear weather, you can see up to 10-20 meteors per hour, astronomers calculate.

The flow will reach maximum activity in the morning hours from April 22 to 23.

"The best time to see shooting stars from the Lyrids is after nightfall and before dawn, when the constellation of Lyra rises high above the horizon. The waning moon will rise only before dawn at 05.00 and will not interfere with the observation. You do not need any equipment to watch them; they are visible to the naked eye. You need to choose a dark place away from city lights and gaze into the sky to wait for a "falling star",” advises the director of the Ufa Planetarium Anatoly Denisov.

Lyrids are bright white meteors - they are one of the oldest known meteor showers. Lyrids are known for a long time - more than two thousand years. The first mention of them dates back to 687 BC, and the Lyrids were connected with the Comet Thatcher in 1861. Bright Lyrid Meteor Showers were observed in 1803 and 1922. In 1803, up to 700 meteors per hour were observed. Now the Lyrids are a weak meteor shower, at the maximum of 10-20 meteors per hour.