AuntieM Loc: Eastern NC

Tomorrow night the Lyrid Meteor Shower is happening, and eastern North Carolina is rated fair for the viewing. Are there any Hogs out there who can give me some direction on where I am supposed to look in the sky? I know where Orion is, and the Big Dipper - that's the limit of my knowledge of the constalletions, and researching where the star Vega is on line has been absolutely no help to me with their constellation "maps". I am researching what settings to use to try to get a shot, but if anyone has shot a meteor shower before, any advice would also be helpful. I have my lawn chair, coffee caraffe, and coat ready to go.

tsca Loc: USA

Good luck! I'm from light polluted Southern California, currently visiting Park City, Utah and hoping to see it as well. This link has some suggestions.

http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/everything-you-need-to-know-lyrid-meteor-shower?utm_source=EarthSky+News&utm_campaign=5c8c415ec7-EarthSky_News&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c643945d79-5c8c415ec7-394232297

smith934 Loc: Huntsville, Alabama

Look just a bit E of NE low on the horizon. The constellation Lyra. If it really interests you and you have a iPhone or iPad get the Star Walk or Sky Guide app.

AuntieM Loc: Eastern NC

Sorry, I am too dumb for a smart phone, but with your direction, I should be able to find Vega, and being on the coast, everything to the east of me is either water, or a low barrier island. I have my fingers crossed on this one.

AuntieM Loc: Eastern NC

The site you gave me was one of the ones I looked at, but it really didn't mean much to me. Good luck to you as well on the viewing and getting some good shots.

Bloke Loc: Waynesboro, Pennsylvania

The name of the shower comes from the constellation that the meteors *appear* to radiate from. That is not the direction where they will appear. Picture driving through a snowstorm, where the snow all moves 'outward' around the car as you go...

They can appear all over the sky, and will actually be 'longer' streaks the further away from the radiant you see them. Does that make sense?

If you are not set up for normal star photographs, getting a decent shot of the meteors is very difficult. You have to be using a long exposure, and just hoping for luck, to have a meteor pass through the field of view at the right time.

Your best bet for *viewing*, is to just find a comfortable spot, and watch the sky... Don't use binoculars or anything, just make yourself comfortable and look. Concentrate on where the sky is dark - if there is a nearby town, look the other way. The light pollution will wash-out all but the brightest of them. The best time is after midnight. I find it hard to get my head around the celestial mechanics, but apparently that is when the Earth is flying straight into the cloud of dust which makes up the shower.

I hope this is helpful - it's easier to do than it is to explain! Have fun, it is a neat thing to watch. Don't expect too much - you may only get 1 or 2 every few minutes.

AuntieM Loc: Eastern NC

What you say makes perfect sense. I am going to "scope out" a couple of places today for viewing and trying to get some photos. I have a couple of fast lenses, a 50mm 1.7 and a 18-70 3.5, a tripod, cable release, and my trusty manual to remind me how to set the shutter speed to Bulb (long exposure). I think the 18-70 will give me a wider field of vision, but wish it had the f1.7. Our Fire Department, which I am a member of, has a training tower with an open top floor, so will climb up there today to see if that works, and if not, will head to the shore and hope that the biting flies go to sleep at night. Anyway, it will be a good experience.

Bloke Loc: Waynesboro, Pennsylvania

I am in almost the exact same situation with regard to equipment. A choice between 18mm at the wide end of a slow zoom, or a 50mm - 1.8 in my case. I want to try my hand at some astrophotography if the weather is ever suitable and I can find a dark site that isn't a huge distance away. With the 50, the stars will start to 'trail' after about 15 seconds - there is a lot of discussion on the astro forum about using expensive tracking mounts to avoid this. Way out of my reach right now, though.

If the weather is good, just watching a meteor shower can be enjoyable. There is a lot of info on the Astronomy magazine website about these annual showers, and which comet they come from. The Perseids and one other come from Halley, but I don't think it is the Lyreids. Just the fact that you are seeing the Earth 'scoop up' bits of dust and debris from outer space blows my mind!

AuntieM Loc: Eastern NC

The other thing I noticed on my last meteor shower, was that after the initial streak, there was a faint trail that lasted quite a while. That was extremely interesting. There is a lot of wind here today, and I am hoping it will settle down tonight, so that the tripod will not be shaking.

Bloke Loc: Waynesboro, Pennsylvania

The weather here sucks tonight... I look forward to hearing how it went, and hopefully seeing some of the results if you manage to catch anything.

AuntieM Loc: Eastern NC

We had the same weather, plus 30mph winds.