Vietnam welcomes meteor shower this weekend
In the early morning of April 22 and 23, Hanoi's sky was cloudy, making it difficult to observe the Lyrids meteor shower with a peak of 20 streaks per hour; while the Central, Central Highlands and Southern regions were more favorable.
According to the Vietnam Young Astronomy Association (VACA), the Lyrids meteor shower takes place from April 16 to 25 every year, with about 15-20 meteors per hour.
A Lyrids meteor shower. Photo:Earth Sky |
In Vietnam, the best observation is in the early morning of April 22 and 23. At this time,The constellation Lyra - the center of the meteor shower - is high in the eastern sky, slightly northeast.
"Astronomy lovers can identify the constellation Lyra by looking for the three brightest stars in the eastern sky. They form a summer triangle with three vertices: Vega, Altair and Deneb," said Mr. Dang Vu Tuan Son, Chairman of VACA.
Mr. Son said that in the early morning of April 22 and 23, Hanoi was cloudy, making it difficult to observe, while the Central, Central Highlands and Southern regions were more favorable.
Astronomers advise that observers should use their naked eyes instead of special glasses. Viewers should also choose a suitable location, limit air pollution and avoid strong light shining directly into their eyes.
Meteor shower over the Changbai Mountains in Jilin Province, China. |
Meteor showers are thousands or even tens of thousands of small meteoroids that enter the Earth's atmosphere one by one and burn up when the Earth passes through the orbit of the meteoroid swarm. These swarms are usually the result of comets passing through Earth's orbit.