April Meteor Shower

"Say kids, what time is it?" If you're old enough your response would be "It's Howdy Doody time!" Well, depending upon when you are reading this column, the time may be later than you think! Most of the United States changes over to Daylight Saving Time at 2:00 am on April 2nd this year. It can't be much earlier! Or can it?

Most of us were taught the phrase "Spring ahead, Fall back" to help us remember how to adjust our clocks twice annually. Therefore, in Spring, usually the first Sunday in April at 2:00 am we would set our clocks ahead one hour. In the Fall, on the last Sunday in October, we would set the clocks back one hour. Fairly easy to remember, yes? Well, this year is the last time for those rules.

Beginning in 2007, as part of the government's Energy Policy Act of 2005, Daylight Saving Time will be extended. Most of the US will spring ahead three weeks earlier on the second Sunday in March. Technically it won't be Spring, but I guess we can still use the same mnemonic to jog our memories on what to do.

Consequently, in the Fall we won't revert back to Eastern Standard Time until the first Sunday in November! It's going to take some time to get accustomed to these new rules. I don't think most folks are going to like it at all. Time will tell.

Well, we haven't observed many meteors of late. Reason one: there are no major meteor streams visible to us during February and March; reason two: the more prominent showers during the second half of last year were either clouded, rained or mooned out!

So I, and many fellow stargazers, are anxiously awaiting a decent display of shooting stars. Our first opportunity presents itself on the night of April 21st to the early morning of the 22nd. That is the date when the April Lyrid meteor shower peaks. What can we expect to see if the skies remain clear for this annual event?

For starters, a waning crescent Moon will rise around 3:30 am, so it will not overshadow many of the shooting stars. Also, besides the favorable Moon phase, some recent observations indicate increased activity during the last few years.

The Lyrids always perform better after midnight, so that's when I would suggest you start scanning the sky for meteors. The constellation Lyra, from where the meteors will appear to radiate, will be well up in the eastern sky. The swift and bright Lyrid meteors disintegrate after hitting our atmosphere at a moderate speed of 29.8 miles per second. They often produce luminous trains of dust that can be observed for several seconds.

Because moonlight will not interfere, an observer can expect to see perhaps 15 to 20 meteors per hour well away from city lights. Since the Lyrids are a narrow stream of particles, the nights before and after the peak night will display perhaps less than half of the peak night numbers.

Enjoy the annual shooting star display known as the April Lyrids. Let's hope a third reason doesn't spoil our chances of watching the best of the April showers!

Seagrave Observatory is open to the public every Saturday night, weather permitting of course. Check our web site at http://www.theskyscrapers.org for any closure notice.

Keep your eyes to the skies.