PAGASA: Meteor shower visible April 22-23

A meteor shower in late April will give stargazers a treat as the Lyrids meteor shower makes its appearance from April 22 to predawn of April 23. The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said the shower’s peak may feature an average of 10 to 15 meteors per hour. “The shower’s peak this year will be in progress on the late night of April 22 to predawn of April 23 with an average of 10-15 meteors per hour under clear sky condition," PAGASA head Prisco Nilo said. Nilo noted the Lyrids meteor shower has been observed for more than 2,600 years. Citing Chinese records, he said “stars fell like rain" during the meteor shower of 687 B.C. But in recent times, he noted the Lyrids have generally been weak, and have a brief maximum that lasts for less than a day. Meanwhile, Nilo said Venus and Mercury will be found close to each other with a minimum separation of about 3 degrees above the western horizon on Saturday at around 6:30 p.m. “They will be shining at magnitude -3.9 and -0.8, respectively. The planets will be located among the background stars of the constellation Aries, the Ram," he said. At around 7 p.m. of April 4, Mars will be found directly at the zenith and will remain visible in the evening sky throughout the month. It will be found among the background stars of the constellation Cancer, the Crab. Its magnitude decreases from the beginning to the end of the month, ranging from +0.2 to +0.6 with a phase of 92 to 90 percent and a diameter from 9.23 to 7.33 arcseconds. During the first week of the month at around 7:30 p.m., Saturn will be shining at magnitude +0.6 and will be located at about 34 degrees from the eastern horizon. It will be found among the background stars of the constellation Virgo, the Virgin. By using a modest size telescope, it will reveal a diameter of 19.45 arc of a second and Saturnian satellites can sometimes be seen as tiny yellowish beads of light. At around 5 a.m. of April 14, Uranus, Jupiter, and Neptune will be at 9, 15 and 32 degrees above the east southeastern horizon and will be glowing at magnitude +8.0, -2.1 and +5.9, respectively. Jupiter and Neptune will lie among the background stars of the constellation Aquarius, the Water Bearer while Neptune will be found among the stars of the constellation Pisces, the Fish. “A modest size telescope will be needed to observe Neptune and the Blue-Green planet, Uranus," Nilo said. According to Spaceweather.com, the meteor showers stems from Earth passing through the dusty tail of Comet Thatcher (C/1861 G1). "The best time to look, no matter where you live, is during the dark hours before dawn. Forecasters expect 10 to 20 meteors per hour visible from dark-sky sites," it said. It also said Lyrids have nothing to do with Vega, as the true source of the shower is Comet Thatcher. "Every year in April, Earth plows through Thatcher's drawn-out dusty tail. Flakes of comet dust, most no bigger than grains of sand, strike Earth's atmosphere traveling 49 km/s (110,000 mph) and disintegrate as streaks of light--meteors!" it said. "Experienced meteor watchers suggest the following viewing strategy: Dress warmly. Bring a reclining chair, or spread a thick blanket over a flat spot of ground. Lie down and look up somewhat toward the east. Meteors can appear in any part of the sky, although their trails will tend to point back toward the radiant--i.e., toward Vega," it added. Social networking site Facebook even offers a page on the meteor shower. Click here. - LBG, GMANews.TV