Poster maker: Feng Juan (file photo from Chongqing astronomy enthusiast Dai Jianfeng)
According to astronomical science experts, at 3 a.m. on April 23, the Lyra meteor shower will usher in a huge amount. At that time, as long as the sky is clear, the continent and even all over the northern hemisphere can witness the Lyra meteor shower. The best time to observe is from the evening of the 22nd to the morning of the 23rd.
On the beautiful west bank of the Milky Way, there is a well-known bright star Vega, which together with some of the surrounding small stars form the constellation Lyra. April 15 to 29 of each year is the active period of the meteor shower named after this constellation.
This is the Vega and milky way photographed by Chongqing astronomy enthusiast Zhou Shaoyang on May 3, 2020 in Sosong Village, Milin County, Nyingchi City, Tibet. (Courtesy of CSVA)
Song Yuanyuan, director of the Tianjin Astronomical Society and an astronomical science expert at the Tianjin Science and Technology Museum, introduced that the mainland record of the meteor shower is earlier than that of other countries, and there is a record of the Lyra meteor shower in the "Left Biography", which is also the earliest known record of the meteor shower in the world.
Compared to meteor showers such as Gemini and Perseid, the flow of the Lyra meteor shower is much smaller, and the ZHR value at maximum (under ideal observation conditions, the number of meteors that can be seen per hour when the radiation point is directly above the head) is above 18. Although the traffic is not very large, there are occasionally very bright fire meteors.
Comics Production: Hu Yanzhu
Astronomical forecasts show that this year's Lyra meteor shower will be extremely large at 3 a.m. on April 23. "The meteor shower's radiation point is not far from the brightest star in the constellation Lyra and the fifth brightest star in the night sky, Vega, and Vega can be used to quickly locate the approximate location of the radiation point." In the mid-latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, the radiation point rises to the horizon shortly after dark and can be observed all night, and the pre-dawn radiation point almost reaches the overhead, which is very beneficial to the northern hemisphere observer. But as the radiation point rises, the rising moon will have a great impact on the vision in the second half of the night. Song Yuanyuan said.
This is the Lyra meteor shower photographed by Beijing astronomy enthusiast Wang Junfeng on April 23, 2017 at the Jinshanling Great Wall in Chengde, Hebei Province. (Courtesy of me)
Due to the limited "amount of rain" of the Lyra meteor shower, it is good to see an average of two or three every minute. "Under clear conditions, friends who like meteor showers can observe the eastern sky from the evening of the 22nd to the morning of the 23rd. While waiting for the meteor shower, you can also observe and photograph the spring starry sky, such as Leo in the starry sky and the ascending 'Milky Way Arch Bridge'. Song Yuanyuan reminded.
Producer: Hu Qinghai
Planner: Liu Xinhui
Reporter: Zhou Runjian
Editors: Lian Changyan, Tang Jianhui
It was co-produced by Xinhua News Agency and Tianjin Branch of Xinhua News Agency
Produced by Starry Sky Studios