Stargazers are in for a treat this April with sightings of the Lyrid meteor shower
CAIRO: Keep those wishes on hand because throughout the whole of next week, with the beginning of the meteor shower season, lucky stargazers will get a chance to wish upon that transient shooting star.
As many as 40 asteroids will enter the Earth s atmosphere every hour from early evening till dawn, as the orbits of Earth and Comet 1861 G1 intersect, giving rise to the Lyrid meteor shower, which takes place between April 16 and 25 and peaks on the April 22, said professor Hamed Ahmed Abdul Hamid, head of the galaxies laboratory at the National Research Institute for astronomy and Geophysics (NRIAG).
Luckily the intersection is between our planet and the tail of 1861 G1, which consists of millions of space rocks ranging from the size of a pinhead to huge rocks weighing several tons. The comet s tail extends for hundreds of thousands of kilometers.
When Earth s orbit crosses the tail of 1861 G1, usually from the direction of the Lyra constellation, derbies from the comet s tail enter into the Earth s atmosphere at speeds of up to 4,000 km per hour and burn due to friction, producing a bright light, and if the meteor is big enough, a popping sound, said Abdul Hamid.
In addition to the Lyrids, Abdul Hamid.said that the Leonids meteor showers, which can be seen in November, are the most visible of the year s seven meteor showers, which take place in May, July, October, and December.
The Lyrid meteor shower will be particularly easy to spot as the moon will be in its first quarter, and will set early enough to allow for dark skies, he said.
The researcher said that any area far away from the city lights, such as the Cairo-Alexandria desert road, the Sixth of October road, or the Suez road will be suitable for spotting, or event taking pictures of the Lyrids.
Star enthusiasts go to the oases of the Western Desert to Abo Simbel in Aswan, or Alexandria s north coast area where photo pollution is minimal, he added.
Andin case you were wondering about that bright planet that started shining as soon as summer began, it is actually Venus.
Venus is the second closest planet to the Sun. For thousands of years, it was celebrated as a symbol of perfection, completeness, beauty, and love; shining with the impeccable precision worthy only of its heavenly status.
In Roman mythology, Venus is the goddess of love and physical beauty; a symbol of deep, tender, affection and solicitude toward a person, such as that arising from kinship, recognition of attractive qualities, or a sense of underlying oneness.
It is both a night and a morning star that you can see at night with the naked eye in the western night sky of Egypt until August.
As a morning star, however, Venus is difficult to spot because it appears very early. This is perhaps why it’s surreptitious, yet lustrous appearance, might have earned it the name, Lucifer, or morning star.
Venus is a very bright star, because it is the second planet from the sun, after Mercury. It has an average radius of 6,052 km, and a mass 0.815 times that of Earth.
It is the twin planet of Earth.Earth would look just like Venus if it were to be seen from there, Abdul Fatah Galal, professor of astronomy at Egypt s National Instituted for Astrology and Geophysics Research, told The Daily Star Egypt
Naturally no one has ever seen Earth from Venus because Venus’ atmosphere mainly consists of carbon dioxide, an inhospitable climate for man; with extreme cold temperatures of -170 Celsius at night, while daytime temperatures are a simmering 40 degrees, added Galal.
To spot Venus before it goes into Lucifer mode, look westwards in the night sky. You can’t miss it. It’ll be around till August.
