2013 Lyrid meteors best before dawn Monday, April 22
2013 Lyrids Meteor Shower is at its peak between Sunday night and the early hours of Monday morning but viewers can still see the spectacle until April 25. The bright moon may be an obstacle for the sky watchers but there are still some tips on how to best view the celestial display.
Astronomers claim that the annual Lyrids meteor shower can have the peak hourly rates of 15 to 20 meteors with the possibility of producing surprises on certain occasions. Astronomer Mark Hammergen from the Adler Planetarium in Chicago, Illinois explained that the extraordinary meteor outbursts happen when planet Earth passes through a dense stream or cluster of debris in the comet's orbit.
"Brief outbursts of around a hundred meteors per hour have been noted a couple of times in the 20th century and Chinese astronomers in 687 B.C. recorded Lyrid meteors falling like rain overhead," Hammergren stated.
