An Epic Meteor Shower Is Going To Light Up The Sky In Vancouver & Here's When To Look Up
We got the scoop from an astronomer. ✨☄️
Meteor shower in a night sky.
A spectacular meteor shower is giving B.C. locals the kind of spring shower people actually look forward to. Mark your calendars, because a celestial event is coming soon to skies near you — you'll even likely get a glimpse from Metro Vancouver.
The Lyrids meteor shower happens every year, and, according to astronomer Marley Leacock from the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre, it'll peak the night of April 22 and April 23 for folks in Vancouver.
"The radiant, where the meteors appear to be originating from, is near the constellation Lyra, which will be in the eastern sky by midnight," Leacock told Narcity. "If you are able to find the star Vega, you are pretty close! [But] they can appear in any part of the sky."
If you're curious to pin down the location of Lyra but don't know where to start, download a stargazing app. Other things you might want to prepare are weather-appropriate clothes, a blanket to lie down on and a wish to make when you see your first shooting star.
You won't need any special equipment to see the meteor shower, so just look up and prepare to behold some flying space rocks entering the Earth's atmosphere.
"You want to see as much of the sky as possible," explained Leacock. "Give yourself enough time. At its peak, the shower can produce up to 18 meteors per hour."
Hopefully, Vancouver skies will clear up on the night of April 22. If it's a clear night, try getting out of the city to a darker area if you can. You'll have better chances of catching a glimpse of the meteoroids from there.
The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada has identified a few of their favourite Vancouver spots for stargazing, from central locales like Spanish Banks and David Lam Park to slightly farther-out areas like Boundary Bay and Cypress Mountain.