Don't Miss It, Lyrid's Meteor Shower Will Decorate The Sky Tonight

Illustration (Pixabay)

JAKARTA - The rarest meteor shower nicknamed Lyrid will glide across the sky all over the world and Indonesia tonight as its climax, to coincide with Earth Day. The meteor will show its identity until the next Thursday morning.

Everyone in the world can watch this sky opera without the aid of any tools including a telescope. It is known that the Lyrid meteor can produce about 20 meteors per hour at its peak tonight.

The National Institute of Aeronautics and Space (LAPAN) revealed the origin of the meteor in its official Instagram post @lapan_ri, that the Lyrid meteor was produced by dust particles left behind by comet C / 1861 G1 Thatcher discovered in 1861.

For information, the name Lyrid comes from the constellation Lyra. According to Earthsky, this Lyrid meteor shower is one of the oldest known, with a record of meteors going back 2,700 years.

It was previously known that Comet C / 1861 G1 Thatcher last passed through the inner solar system in 1861. According to calculations based on the comet's trajectory, it visits Earth every 415 years.

Although it took the comet centuries to complete its cycle, its massive trail of cosmic dust remains stable in the Solar System. So every year, these debris clouds reach Earth and cause amazing stellar displays.

According to the Space report, meteor showers (not just Lyrid) occur every year when Earth's orbit crosses the path of Comet Thatcher. The comet is losing part of itself that is flying into Earth's upper atmosphere at a speed of 110,000 miles per hour.

Lyrid's Meteor can be seen with the naked eye, and it doesn't require any assistive tools like a telescope, or just use your cellphone to zoom into the sky. However, it takes a broad view in order to see this Lyrid meteor shower, without any obstruction of the building or any building for sure.

NASA claims, there will be appearances like the planets Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars in the night sky. Of course this moment wouldn't happen again for several years.

For that, if you need entertainment because you are tired of being at home, try going out at night and looking up at the sky to see this natural phenomenon.