Idaho Skies Transcript for April 22nd and 23rd

RACHEL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for April 22nd and 23rd. We’re your hosts, Rachel...

PAUL
...and Paul.

RACHEL
Hey stargazers, the Lyrid meteor shower peaks on the night of the 22nd and morning of the 23rd.

PAUL
Listeners wanting to observe the first warm-weather meteor shower of the year will want to see this one. This event occurs on a Monday night and Tuesday morning, which can be a problem for those who work. However, this year the moon is 20 days old and therefore, a large gibbous that will affect meteor viewing once it rises. 

RACHEL
The sky gets dark enough for meteor viewing by 10:00 PM. The radiant for this shower, which is where meteors will appear to originate, also rises by this time. The moon on the other hand will rise by 1:30 AM. This means stargazers will only have between 10:00 PM and 1:30 AM to watch the meteor shower. 

PAUL
So yes, this meteor shower occurs a little late on a Monday night. However, it’s not an event that requires stargazers to stay up past midnight to see. Meteor enthusiasts should search for streaks of light originating from the low northeast. That’s close to the brightest star you’ll see in this part of the sky, Vega.

RACHEL
Under dark conditions, this shower can produce up to 18 meteors per hour. The meteors are only the size of a grain of rice, but traveling at a speed of 29 miles per second. That’s an immense amount of kinetic energy and the reason why they can appear so bright. So enjoy a demonstration of destructive reentry on Monday night. 

PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 22nd and 23rd of April.

RACHEL
Be sure to read our blog for additional information. It’s at idahoskies.blogspot.com

For Idaho Skies this is Rachel...

PAUL
...and Paul.

RACHEL
Dark skies and bright stars.