Episode 231

Every April, Earth plows through a stream of ancient comet dust, and for a few nights, the sky answers back with streaks of light we call the Lyrids.

They’re one of the oldest recorded meteor showers in human history—seen by skywatchers more than 2,600 years ago—and yet every year they still manage to surprise us. Sometimes gentle and subtle… sometimes bursting with bright fireballs that stop you in your tracks.

Tonight, we’re going to talk about what makes the Lyrid Meteor Shower special, how to observe it, and why it still matters to both casual stargazers and serious observers.

My guest is Bob Lunsford, a leading voice in meteor science and observing, whose work has helped countless observers understand what’s really happening when we look up and see a shooting star.

Whether you’re stepping outside for your very first meteor shower or you’ve spent decades under the night sky, this is one you won’t want to miss.

I’m Tim Robertson, and this is The Observers Notebook.

You can contact Bob Lunsford at:

For more information you can visit the ALPO web site at:

www.alpo-astronomy.org/

You can also support this podcast at Patreon:

https://www.patreon.com/ObserversNotebook

Listen to the podcast on Soundcloud:

https://soundcloud.com/observersnotebook

Subscribe on our YouTube Channel:

https://www.youtube.com/c/AssociationofLunarandPlanetaryObservers

Subscribe on iTunes:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/observers-notebook-the-alpo-podcast/id1199301885?mt=2

I want to thank the Producers of this podcast, Steve Siedentop and Michael Moyer for their generous support of the Observers Notebook.

Our Patreons:

Jerry White

Jason Inman

Bob Lunsford

Steve Seidentop

Stephen Bennett

Michael Moyer

Shawn Dilles

Damian Allis

Carl Hergenrother

Michael McShan

Michael Blake

Nick Evetts

Stan Sienkiewicz

Carl Hergenrother

Stan Sienkiewicz

John Rogers

Jim McCarthy

Stanley McMahan