Observing With Webb - April Episode

Welcome to Observing With Webb, where a high school astronomy teacher tells you what you’re looking at, why it’s so cool, and what you should check out later this month…at night.   Venus shines bright all month, Mercury makes a 3 week appearance, Mars hangs out with Gemini, Saturn continues its morning planet season, and the Lyrids have excellent observing conditions.   April 22nd: LYRID METEOR SHOWER – At only 10-20 meteors per hour, it is a minor shower, but we have essentially no Moon to get in the way of the best observing.  The shower is greatest on the 22nd, but you might see some on the 21st and 23rd as well.  Just remember each meteor is piece of debris left over from a comet, and we’re crashing into it at over 100,000 miles per hour, which crushes the atmosphere it hits, heating it up and causing the bright flash.  The best viewing is between 2am and 4:30am, but you never know when you’ll see something awesome.    Some advice for watching:  - Find a dark location and lie down in a reclining chair or something that insulates you from the ground. - Check the weather to see if the skies will be clear. - Adapt your eyes to the dark by staying away from light sources or using a red light if you need to look at a star chart or not trip over something.   - If you’re feeling extra nerdy, do a scientific meteor count (S&T and IMO)!   We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing, hosting, and production costs.  Just visit: https://www.patreon.com/365DaysOfAstronomy and donate as much as you can! Share the podcast with your friends and send the Patreon link to them too!  Every bit helps! Thank you! ------------------------------------ Do go visit http://www.redbubble.com/people/CosmoQuestX/shop for cool Astronomy Cast and CosmoQuest t-shirts, coffee mugs and other awesomeness! http://cosmoquest.org/Donate This show is made possible through your donations.  Thank you! (Haven't donated? It's not too late! Just click!) ------------------------------------ The 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast is produced by the Planetary Science Institute. http://www.psi.edu Visit us on the web at 365DaysOfAstronomy.org or email us at [email protected].