Illinois Gets A Good 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 on Sunday night, just before Earth Day rolls around this coming Monday, April 22.

And, looking at the weather forecast, I can see that conditions are supposed to be agreeable throughout the weekend going into Monday. That means Rockford, along with the rest of Illinois, should have a ring-side seat for the show.

It might not be as cool as last week's solar eclipse, but meteor showers are still a lot more interesting than your average night sky.

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

According to Wikipedia, the Lyrids have been around and observed 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, which show up every July and August, may be a lot more famous, but if conditions are right for viewing here in our area, and it looks like they will be, 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 Illinois Residents To Look Up And See The Lyrids

Although the Lyrids continue their display through the end of this month, they'll be at peak-viewing Sunday night going into Monday (Earth Day) 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 waxing gibbous moon, which means the moon will be almost fully illuminated during the Lyrids' peak, so there's a chance that bright moonlight may interfere with our viewing fun.