Will VA See Shooting Star Show? What To Know About The Lyrid Meteors

VIRGINIA — Meteor showers have returned to the skies, starting with the Lyrids, which peak overnight Monday and Tuesday. Whether you’ll be able to see the shooting star show, known for its fireballs, depends on weather conditions in Virginia.

Besides the Lyrid meteor shower this week, the Eta Aquariids got started around mid-month and are building toward an early May peak.

The National Weather Service calls for a 50 percent chance of rain Monday night, but clouds are move out Tuesday night and look for mostly clear skies on Wednesday. With that said, timing will be a major factor for Northern Virginia and D.C.

April’s pink moon — so-called because this is the time of year pink ground phlox and other wildflowers begin blooming — will be about 50 percent illuminated, which should allow for decent meteor shower viewing conditions.

As with most meteor showers, this one is best viewed in the early morning hours before dawn. Find a dark sky, take along a reclining lawn chair if you can, and blankets to keep you warm. Although meteor showers do have radiant points — in this case, it’s in the constellation Lyra, close to Vega, one of the brightest stars in the night sky — but you don’t have to locate it to see shooting stars, which will appear all over the sky.

Virginia State Parks has four parks designated as International Dark Sky Parks by the International Dark-Sky Association: Staunton River, James River, Natural Bridge and Sky Meadows.
Other spots for star-gazing include: Assateague Island National Seashore, Grayson Highlands State Park, James River State Park, Meadows of Dan, Natural Bridge State Park, Natural Chimneys Park, Rappahannock County Park, and Shenandoah National Park, according to Space Tourism Guide.

Those dark locations are also great places to chase shooting stars.

The Lyrid meteors are one of the oldest recorded meteor showers with observations dating back to 687 B.C. The Lyrids are known for luminous dust trains that last for several seconds, according to NASA. At the peak, the Lyrids offer about 18 shooting stars an hour.

The ancient Eta Aquariid meteor shower gets started around April 19 and runs concurrently with the Lyrids. This shower is the more prolific of the two, offering about 30 shooting stars an hour. These fast meteors also leave glowing trains that can last anywhere from several seconds to minutes, according to NASA. The shower peaks overnight May 4-5 and rambles on until month’s end.

April is also a good time for amateur astronomers in Virginia to participate in Hubble's Night Sky Challenge commemorating 35 years of Hubble discoveries. It’s a year-round program, and April offers some stellar opportunities to see some of the objects Hubble has photographed over the years, according to NASA.

Messier and Caldwell galaxies visible in the Northern Hemisphere in April are found on the NASA website. The Hubble Challenge also provides a guide for star parties, which could be a fun overnight adventure at a dark sky location in Virginia.