First meteor shower of spring to light up night sky later in April

“A meteor shower is something fun to look forward too.”

Orbax, a science communicator in the Department of Physics at the University of Guelph, said that Earth is set to move through the tail of comets. The annual event is known as the Lyrids meteor shower, and it typically occurs near the end of April.

“I like to think of it as the first burgeoning of spring,” said Orbax, while a guest on The Mike Farwell Show. “The peak is on the night of the 21st this year into the morning of the 22nd. We should be seeing up to about 15 meteors an hour taking place, and we can actually see this one before midnight as well.”

That’s if the weather cooperates. Orbax pointed out that this winter has seen more than its fair share of cloudy days and nights so he has his fingers crossed the sky will be clear.

Each month, Orbax publishes a star gazing guide on YouTube, and in the April edition, he mentioned that the moon on April 21 will be a sliver crescent that won’t rise until around 3:30 am. So, the moon shouldn’t interfere with stargazing.

Orbax said the majority of the meteors will come after midnight but there should be plenty to see earlier in the evening.

He said while he typically gives detailed instructions about where in the sky to look, he now recommends one of the many stargazing apps available for smartphones. He says they do a pretty decent job and can at least point people in the right direction.