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(meteorobs) Lyrids "Window"



With the Lyrids meteor shower just 2 weekends away, now seems a good time to look at what the prospects will be for planning purposes.

Even though the IMO website paints a dismal picture of this shower being a moonlit washout, there is in fact a window of opportunity between moonset and twilight. The waxing gibbous moon will set before 3am local time in North America, providing an hour or two of dark skies depending on the exact location. It seems that the Rocky mountain regions will be perfectly positioned during this dark window to see the expected shower peak at 10:30 UT! The midwest region should also be in the dark at the peak, but closer to morning twilight, reducing the available observing time. East coasters will definitely run into twilight troubles, but still may see a good show if the peak occurs a bit earlier than predicted. Similarly, West coast observers will still have a moon to deal with, setting low in the west at the peak time, but if the peak arrives a bit later they would get a good opportunity as well..

So, it seems North America is the best spot for the Lyrids this year, despite the moon.

Mike Linnolt
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