NANAIMO — While it’s not a headliner by meteor shower standards, devoted stargazers will be looking upward this week.
The peak of the annual Lyrid meteor shower takes place overnight on Monday and Tuesday, April 21/ 22, according to Vancouver Island University Astronomy professor Dr. Gregory Arkos.
One of the oldest known meteor showers documented by Chinese astronomers nearly 3,000 years ago, Arkos said the event isn’t as prominent as the Perseid (August) or Leonid meteor showers (November).
“Nonetheless, the Lyrids can potentially be an interesting shower to view. They sometimes are known for producing bright fireball meteors, more likely than some of the other showers,” Arkos told NanaimoNewsNOW.
He recommends viewing the lower northeast portion of the night sky.
Arkos said there is a chance an unexpected fury of meteors could appear early this week, offering faster and brighter bursts compared to a typical meteor display.
He said the rest of this week could even produce meteors as the peak of the event fades down.
“Occasionally, we get lucky and hit a denser portion of the debris that causes these, and we’ll get a burst of hundreds of meteors per hour.”
Meteor showers are accessible and reward viewers if they are patient and willing to lose a little sleep, Arkos said.
“The beauty of meteors is that you don’t need any special equipment, you don’t need a telescope for this, in fact, that’s more of a hindrance.”
He recommended taking in as much of the sky as you can in a dark space away from as much light as possible.
As for other solar displays to watch for, Arkos said the coming weeks and months provide ideal conditions for more prominent Aurora Borealis events (Northern Lights).
Arkos said the sun has just entered the peak of its 11-year solar cycle, which increases the chances of various geomagnetic storms materializing.
A solar maximum period provides an ideal climate for the Northern Lights shows which transpired last year, Arkos said.
“You never know with the sun, but that’s something to keep your eye on.”
Aurora Borealis display over the Nanaimo area in May 2024. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)Subscribe to our daily news wrap. Local news delivered to your email inbox every evening. Stay up to date on everything Nanaimo and Oceanside.
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