Exciting Celestial Event Will Be Seen Over the Hudson Valley this Month

For the first time in a few months, skywatchers in the area will be treated to an annual meteor shower. The event is expected to peak later during April and will be the first shower of its kind since the Quadrantid meteor shower in early January. Of course, early spring is a time of year when skies are often cloudy in the Hudson Valley, so the weather could play a factor if we end up seeing anything or not.

AccuWeather says that the Lyrid meteor shower will peak the night of Thursday, April 21, into the early hours of Friday, April 22. Live Science says that the Lyrids are the debris left from Comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher that is witnessed as the Earth passes through the remnants. They were first discovered in 687 B.C. This is typically a pretty quiet shower, with about 10 to 20 meteors seen per hour on average. The American Meteor Society says however that a few of these meteors can suddenly become very bright, briefly igniting into spectacular fireballs.

When's the best time to see it? 

AccuWeather says that the best time to witness the meteor shower will be between midnight and 2 AM that night before the Moon rises.

The next meteor shower will be the Eta Aquarids a few weeks after the Lyrids.

Other Cool Astronomical Events

Another rather unusual event that will occur in April is known as the Black Moon. While it may sound ominous, it is basically the second new moon within the same calendar month. While that may not be huge to some, it is actually the first Black Moon since July 2019. The next time another one occurs will be December 2024.