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Beats the hell out of television

Meteor showers tonight! They peak tomorrow or the next night, depending on where you are, but it’s a new moon tonight and especially dark. Very clear here, too.

Named after constellation Lyra, the Lyrids are one of the oldest recorded meteor showers—according to some historical Chinese texts, the shower was seen over 2,500 years ago. The fireballs in the meteor shower are created by debris from comet Thatcher, which takes about 415 years to orbit around the Sun. The comet is expected to be visible from Earth again in 2276.

I don’t recognize the constellation Lyra by name. Does it have a different name back home, like the Skillet or the ‘Possum or the Banjo?

April 20, 2020 — 7:16 pm
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