Lyrid meteor shower

[msommers]

Lyrid meteor shower begins April 16, 2013. Peak before dawn April 22.

It’s here! The Lyrid meteor shower lasts from about April 16 to 25, so, anytime now, you have an opportunity to see a Lyrid meteor, April’s shooting stars. Lyrid meteors tend to be bright and often leave trails. About 10-20 meteors per hour at peak can be expected around the peak morning on April 22, 2013. Plus, the Lyrids are known for uncommon surges that can sometimes bring the rate up to 100 per hour. Those rare outbursts are not easy to predict, but they’re one of the reasons the tantalizing Lyrids are worth checking out. The radiant for this shower is in the constellation Lyra, which rises in the northeast at about 10 p.m. In 2013, the waxing gibbous moon lights up the nighttime until the wee hours of the morning. However, the greatest number of Lyrid meteors commonly fall in the dark hours just before dawn, so trying watching this meteor shower after moonset and before dawn on April 22.

For more information of future events, scroll down.

http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/earthskys-meteor-shower-guide?utm_source=EarthSky+News&utm_campaign=6cd730ae6a-EarthSky_News&utm_medium=email

[clem24]

Too bad it's fucking freezing outside.

[JordanEG6]

Interesting. Where in the city is the best place to try and capture this?

[ga16i]

I'd think Highway 8 or 22 near Bragg Creek. Calgary really does give off A LOT of light at night. Chestermere, Okotoks and Airdrie are quite bright compared to Bragg Creek, that's why I'd suggest heading West.

[AaronK]

I think I will head west also, avoid the brightness of Calgary!

[VaN_HaMMeRSTeiN]

I was thinking north by like... ghost lake... but I have no clue.

[ga16i]

Ghost Lake is probably good, but I'd also probably call Ghost Lake more West than North ;)

[msommers]

I went out to Ghost Lake for the last one. If anyone wants to head out there, let me know - I'll be taking pics.

[Graham_A_M]

^ Forgive my dumbass-ness, but where is it again? I heard its near Cochrane. Id love to head out there since Im an unemployeed bum right about now.
:rofl:

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by Graham_A_M
^ Forgive my dumbass-ness, but where is it again? I heard its near Cochrane. Id love to head out there since Im an unemployeed bum right about now.
:rofl:

1/2 way between Cochrane and Canmore. You know where Morley is?

[D'z Nutz]

Originally posted by msommers
I went out to Ghost Lake for the last one. If anyone wants to head out there, let me know - I'll be taking pics.

Make sure you check the clear sky clock before making the trek out. It could be a waste of time if it's overcast out.

http://cleardarksky.com/c/GhstLkABkey.html?1

Calgary:
http://cleardarksky.com/c/Calgarykey.html

[roll_over]

I go over near the Rothney Astrophysical Observatory to watch the northern lights

[msommers]

Pardon, I went out to Barrier Lake - got them mixed up. I like the observatory idea, much closer and less cheapy sitting in the parking lot though Ghost isn't far either.

Thanks for the links, D.

[clem24]

Originally posted by msommers
Pardon, I went out to Barrier Lake - got them mixed up. I like the observatory idea, much closer and less cheapy sitting in the parking lot though Ghost isn't far either.

Thanks for the links, D.

If you're still going to Ghost Lake, give me a shout. I may join you depending on when.. At least it's not too far from where I am.

[jsn]

Do you guys know if there's anywhere within Calgary that you'll be able to see them from? Ghost lake is my last resort, but I'm hoping there's somewhere closer within Calgary that's dark enough to see the meteor shower.

[zipdoa]

Originally posted by jsn
Do you guys know if there's anywhere within Calgary that you'll be able to see them from? Ghost lake is my last resort, but I'm hoping there's somewhere closer within Calgary that's dark enough to see the meteor shower.

Maybe Bearspaw / Cochrane area? That's where I'm going to try tonight.

[nicolieo7]

Anyone know what the best time to head out is? I read somewhere around 4am?

[vengie]

I heard anywhere from 3-4am, thats when I'll head out

[Markll7]

Anyone see any last night ?

[nicolieo7]

I went out by Kananaski County and it was lovely! only saw about 6 meteors but still worth it!

[03ozwhip]

i saw a shooting star around 11? does that count? :D maybe it was a meteor i dunno lol

[bignerd]

Seems to me I use to see way more when I was younger??

More like 20+ an hour...

[roll_over]

It's that time again

Canadians looking for something to do in the wee hours of Saturday morning should head out to the yard and look up, as scientists predict that’s when new meteor shower will illuminate the night sky.
The meteor shower will be the first from a comet with the rather clunky moniker of 209P/LINEAR, so-named for the group that discovered it.
While it’s not expected to be spectacularly bright, associate professor in the department of physics and astronomy at the University of Western Ontario Paul Wiegert expects some kind of light show. And the average onlooker doesn’t need a telescope or binoculars to see it.
“The meteors will be shooting across the sky and they will appear to be coming from somewhere below the North Star,” Wiegert told CTVNews.ca in a telephone interview from London, Ont.
“So if you can orient yourself to the little dipper and look roughly in that direction, you should see meteors coming from that part of the sky.”
City-dwellers will have a more difficult time seeing the meteor shower, so keen observers should get away from the city lights to a darker location, he says.
Weather permitting, peak viewing time will be between 11 p.m. Friday and 1 a.m. Saturday on the West Coast, between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. Saturday in Ontario and Quebec, and between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. Saturday in the Maritimes.
The only region of Canada where the shower won’t be visible is the Far North, where it will still be daylight.
Unlike other meteor showers such as the Perseid, which is visible every August, this is the first time this meteor shower will be seen from Earth, Wiegert says.
The reason it is visible this year is that as comets travel around the sun, their flight path is not exactly the same every time. Wiegert says the gravitational pull from different planets, among other factors, can change the comet’s path.

[Seth1968]

Originally posted by bignerd
Seems to me I use to see way more when I was younger??



Light pollution.

[clem24]

Originally posted by roll_over
It's that time again

Canadians looking for something to do in the wee hours of Saturday morning should head out to the yard and look up, as scientists predict that’s when new meteor shower will illuminate the night sky.
The meteor shower will be the first from a comet with the rather clunky moniker of 209P/LINEAR, so-named for the group that discovered it.
While it’s not expected to be spectacularly bright, associate professor in the department of physics and astronomy at the University of Western Ontario Paul Wiegert expects some kind of light show. And the average onlooker doesn’t need a telescope or binoculars to see it.
“The meteors will be shooting across the sky and they will appear to be coming from somewhere below the North Star,” Wiegert told CTVNews.ca in a telephone interview from London, Ont.
“So if you can orient yourself to the little dipper and look roughly in that direction, you should see meteors coming from that part of the sky.”
City-dwellers will have a more difficult time seeing the meteor shower, so keen observers should get away from the city lights to a darker location, he says.
Weather permitting, peak viewing time will be between 11 p.m. Friday and 1 a.m. Saturday on the West Coast, between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. Saturday in Ontario and Quebec, and between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. Saturday in the Maritimes.
The only region of Canada where the shower won’t be visible is the Far North, where it will still be daylight.
Unlike other meteor showers such as the Perseid, which is visible every August, this is the first time this meteor shower will be seen from Earth, Wiegert says.
The reason it is visible this year is that as comets travel around the sun, their flight path is not exactly the same every time. Wiegert says the gravitational pull from different planets, among other factors, can change the comet’s path.

This happened in April...

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by clem24


This happened in April...

It happened 4 nights ago, but there was no show to be seen, although the thread is about the Lyrids, his post is about 209P/Linear.

[n1zm0]

Originally posted by Tik-Tok


It happened 4 nights ago, but there was no show to be seen, although the thread is about the Lyrids, his post is about 209P/Linear.

yeah this thing I guess:

http://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/rare-meteor-shower-falls-short-of-expectations-1.1836489

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BoYZGduIcAAtrRg.jpg

Coworker was trying to take pics of it but it was like one streak in the air and that was it.

[woodywoodford]

Originally posted by Seth1968


Light pollution.

x2. These things are bright as hell on the farm.