On Tuesday next week the Lyrid Meteor Shower will happen overhead. Like all such events, the meteor shower takes its name from the constellation in front of which the stars appear to ‘shoot’, which in this case is the constellation Lyra, the lyre or stringed instrument of Orpheus.
The shooting stars don’t actually come from the constellation Lyra, rather, they result from Earth passing through the trail of stuff left in that region by Comet G1 Thatcher, which was first seen in 1861. This comet won’t appear again for another 260 years, but it has left a trail of stuff that causes spectacularly bright meteors that often leave persistent trains.
For best viewing of the meteor shower, look toward the northeast horizon after 10 pm. Once the constellation Lyra appears, the meteors will become visible, anywhere in the sky. Because Lyra will appear to move overhead until about 4 am, there is the possibility of seeing shooting stars for most of the night.
And for a story to accompany your meteor shower watching, you can look into the mythology associated with the constellation Lyra. For the ancient Greeks, this constellation is typically associated with Orpheus, although the lyre or stringed musical instrument that it represents was first invented by Hermes.
The story is that Hermes found a tortoise shell cast upon the shore with dried tendons stretched across it. He picked it up and found he could make a delightful sound with it, and so invented the stringed musical instrument. He used the lyre to steal 50 prized cattle from Apollo’s sacred herd. When Apollo discovered the theft, Hermes gave him the lyre in exchange.
Though Apollo was gifted in his use of the lyre, he eventually gave it to his son, Orpheus. Mythology holds that Orpheus was so talented with the lyre, he could charm all living things, stones, and even the god of the Underworld, for whom he played the lyre in order to free his wife, Eurydice, from an untimely death.
Because the constellation Lyra is connected with the most divine music, you may want to accompany your meteor shower watching with some recommended music from the classical playlist here at Interlochen Public Radio, included on the website (I couldn’t help it!).
I’m Mary Stewart Adams from Emmet County’s International Dark Sky Park at the Headlands.