Illinois Has A Great Look At The Lyrid Meteor Shower This Weekend

This particular celestial light show is known as the oldest of meteor showers, and the one that peaks at the tail end of April each year. The Lyrid meteor shower will peak just in time for Earth Day this weekend (April 22nd).

And, if the skies are agreeable Friday night going into Saturday morning, Rockford, along with the rest of Illinois, should have a ring-side seat for the show.

Granted, it's not a sky full of a foreign power's "weather balloons," but it should still be very cool anyway.

Also Known As The "April Lyrids," The Meteor Shower Was First Observed And Reported On Way Back In 687 BC

As Wikipedia points out, that's longer than any other meteor shower.

"The April Lyrids are a meteor shower lasting from April 16 to April 25 each year. The radiant of the meteor shower is located in the constellation Lyra, near its brightest star, Vega. The peak of the shower is typically around April 22 each year.

The Perseid Meteor Showers are more famous, but if conditions are right for viewing here in our area, we may be seeing up to 100 meteors per hour with the Lyrid showers in full-swing.

Let's Take A Look At The Best Times For The Rockford Area To See The Lyrids

Although the Lyrids continue their display through the end of this month, they'll be at peak-viewing Thursday night going into Friday morning.

Like most celestial displays, the Lyrids are best viewed under a dark sky. NASA says that your best viewing opportunity will be after the moon sets, and before dawn. The moon phase during this time will be a waning gibbous moon, which will be about 61% illuminated during the Lyrids' peak, so moonlight may interfere with our fun.