Liridas: Astronomy lovers will be able to see a meteor shower in Brazil at dawn from Wednesday (21) to Thursday (22). The phenomenon that can be watched in the skies of the country is called Líridas and has been happening since last week, but it will reach its peak soon.
According to the American Meteor Society’s estimates, the meteor shower will be visible quite clearly during the wee hours of the morning of April 22. However, the first traces should already be evident in the sky during the night of this Wednesday (21).
Known as one of the first records of its kind, the Líridas meteor shower is caused by the debris of Comet Thatcher, also identified as C / 1861. The celestial body passed through Earth during the 19th century during its most recent visit, but the cosmic dust from its trail appears annually here.
As the phenomenon is based on debris from a comet, the meteor shower does not have many celestial bodies, with about 7 to 15 stars appearing per hour in Brazil. Even so, observers can expect bright stones to cut through the sky, as the rain of Líridas usually has the presence of luminous fireballs.
Another point that should assist in the visualization of meteors is the Moon, which may not hinder the observation as much as in previous years. The Earth’s natural satellite is in an increasing phase and it is estimated that the luminosity is not as strong, guaranteeing a darker night at the end of the night, with about two hours of guaranteed dark sky.
As the Líridas meteor shower is very bright, the curious will be able to watch the natural spectacle without special devices, just look at the sky in a place with low light and pollution during the night. The tip is also to find an environment with a wide view, to have a larger area of vision coverage of the space.
