'Extremely Rare': April Comets May Put on a Show for Sky Watchers

'Extremely rare': April comets may put on a show for sky watchers

Two comets are currently hurtling towards the Sun. If they survive the trip, they may put on a dazzling show for Australian stargazers this month.

Look up in April for two comets and the Lyrid meteor shower

Ready for some new night sky challenges?

Lyrids in the sky with diamonds

By Jemima Eardley, First Year, Neuroscience Every year, in late April, the dusty trails of the Lyrid meteors wander into our atmosphere and collide with our orbit, allowing us to see the beautiful white streaks they make as they disintegrate across the sky! Meteors are broken parts of celestial objects, such as comets or asteroids, that fall so fast (around 50km/s) that the air in front of them doesn’t have time to move out of their path. This i…