The Lyrid meteor shower will peak just before the full pink moon this week

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the total solar eclipse It’s over, but skygazers have a reason to keep watching: a meteor shower will peak just before the full moon this week. The orb may steal some of the thunder from the Lyres, but experts have some tips on the best way to view this celestial spectacle.

According to the American Meteor Society, the Lyrid meteor shower will be most active Sunday night into the early morning hours of Monday. April’s full moon, also known as the pink moon, will reach the top of its full phase on Tuesday at 2:00 PM 7:49 PM ET.

During peak Lyres, spectators typically glimpse up to 18 meteors per hour, but this year the moon’s brightness will disrupt the view of faint meteors. The shower will be more visible to people in the Northern Hemisphere, says Ashley King, a postdoctoral researcher in planetary science at the Natural History Museum in London. He explained that the Lyric radiation, or the point from which meteors appear to shoot, will not rise high enough in the night sky in the Southern Hemisphere to see high numbers of meteors.

King added that night owls who want to view the winches should allow their eyes to adjust by being outside for at least 10 to 15 minutes before attempting to spot the meteor. Because meteors can appear anywhere in the sky, experts advise against using a telescope or binoculars due to the devices’ small field of view. According to NASA.

“The best time to go out (to see the meteor) is early in the morning, before sunrise,” King said. “If you can get to a dark place and maybe get high up so you can see a lot of the sky, that’s ideal.”

The Lyrid meteors are not known to be the fastest or brightest meteors, but their shower can still provide a valuable celestial light show, and there is always a chance for surprises.

“You never know what you’re going to see, and seeing a meteorite is a really cool way to see what’s going on and see the solar system active,” King said. “In a sense, (by seeing a meteorite) you are looking at… some of the oldest materials to have formed in the solar system.”

The pink moon will be visible to everyone around the world, just as Earth’s natural satellite will appear full moon for a few days.

Despite its name, this full moon will look just like any other, said Paul Hein, a planetary scientist at the University of Colorado Boulder. A full moon can sometimes take on a reddish color when it is near the horizon, due to light passing through the Earth’s atmosphere.

In fact, the Pink Moon gets its nickname because of its annual appearance shortly after the onset of spring, as does the bright pink wildflower of the same name called Phlox subulata. It blooms in early spring, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac.

It’s best to view the full moon with binoculars, or even just the naked eye, because it may be too bright to view through a telescope, Hein said.

“Our closest celestial neighbors have played an important role in both human mythology and the evolution of life on Earth. It is also one of the most beautiful sights in the night sky that you can see without a telescope,” Hein said in an email. “Watching the full moon is a great opportunity.” “A reminder of the vastness of space and our connection to the universe.”

Of the twelve Full Moons in 2024, the lunar events in September and October are expected to be a supermoon, according to EarthSky.

Definitions of a supermoon can vary, but the term generally refers to a full moon that is closer to Earth than normal and therefore appears larger and brighter in the night sky. Some astronomers say this phenomenon occurs when the moon is within 90% of perigee – its closest approach to Earth in orbit.

Here are the remaining full moons of 2024:

• May 23: Venus moon

• June 21: Strawberry Moon

• July 21: Pac Moon

• August 19: Sturgeon moon

• September 17: Harvest Moon

• October 17: Hunter’s Moon

• November 15: Beaver Moon

• December 15: Cold Moon

According to the American Meteor Society, skygazers can look forward to a slew of meteor showers this year. Below are the dates when meteor events are expected to peak.

• Eta Waterman: May 4-5

• Buckeyes south of the Delta: July 29-30

• Alpha Capricorn: July 30-31

• Perseids: August 11-12

• Dragon: October 7-8

• Al-Jabariyat: October 20-21

• Southern Supplies: November 4-5

• Northern Revolutions: November 11-12

• Leonids: November 17-18

• Gemini: December 13-14

• Ursids: December 21-22

Solar and lunar eclipse

While the most anticipated eclipse events of 2024 were a total solar eclipse on April 8, an annular solar eclipse will occur in parts of South America on October 2. In this type of solar eclipse, the moon is at the furthest point from Earth within its orbit as it passes between our planet and the sun, and is thus unable to completely obscure the fiery celestial body. Instead, an annular solar eclipse creates a ‘ring of fire’ in the sky as sunlight surrounds the moon.

Meanwhile, a partial lunar eclipse will occur over Europe, most of Asia, Africa, North America and South America between September 17 and 18. During this event, the Earth moves in near-perfect alignment between the Sun and the Moon, causing the Earth to shadow. To hide part of the moon’s surface from those in the path of the eclipse.