If Iowa City can get out from under this overcast, tonight will be the peak of the April Lyrids meteor shower, especially since there will also be a new moon, clearing out the light pollution for pristine viewing.
The Lyrids is an annual meteor shower which occurs from April 16th through the 26th. Astronomers claim that tonight will be the peak with approximated 15 to 20 meteors per hour, though many more per hour has been documented in the past.
The documentation of this particular meteor shower reaches back over 2600 years, with written records from China predating Christ.
Meteor showers are named based on which constellation their radius resides (the radius is where the meteors' point of origin appears to be). Thus, the Lyrids are named due to their radius found in the constellation Lyra. The constellation Lyra can be most readily found by locating the bright star Vega, which rises in the northeast. The meteors will be appearing in 30 degree arcs shooting away from Vega.
Meteors showers are formed by passing comets, being the particles of dust from the comet's tail. The Lyrid's comet is named Thatcher, named after its discoverer, A.E. Thatcher.
Again, it looks unfortunately like the clouds won't let up tonight for local residents but if you're a die-hard fan and think the weather will change, then officials say that 1:30am will be optimal viewing. Get out of town, away from the city lights, bundle up and hope for a great show. Otherwise, you can just google the images taken by the International Space Station, those lucky people.
Please login to post.