Observing a meteor shower from above, from space, is a rare thing. Yet astronaut Jessica Meir managed to photograph the Lyrids from the International Space Station (ISS). Her image shows a multitude of parallel luminous trails crossing Earth's atmosphere from above, a totally different perspective from what we see on the ground. This annual phenomenon reminds us that our planet is constantly struck by cometary dust.
These Lyrids are a meteor shower active each year in April. Their origin goes back to comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher, discovered in 1861. This comet takes hundreds of years to orbit the Sun, leaving behind a trail of debris. When Earth crosses this trail, particles burn up in the atmosphere at high speed, producing the luminous streaks we call shooting stars.
Astronaut Jessica Meir captured this image of the Lyrids from the International Space Station.
Credit: NASA/Jessica Meir The image taken by Meir offers a unique viewpoint: we see the meteors below the horizon line. Earth's atmosphere is incredibly thin, but thick enough for a small particle from space to ignite as it passes through its upper layers. From the ISS, astronauts can observe this spectacle as a reminder of the fragility of our environment.
The composition of the Lyrids is simple: they are fragments of dust and ice released by comet Thatcher. Each year, our planet passes through this debris cloud, and the particles enter the atmosphere at about 30 miles per second (49 km/s). Their rapid combustion creates bright trails, visible to the naked eye in clear skies. The peak activity usually occurs on April 21 and 22, with about fifteen meteors per hour.
To observe the Lyrids from the ground, simply move away from city lights and look toward the constellation Lyra, from where they appear to originate. No equipment is needed: a reclining chair and a little patience suffice. Astronaut Meir, for her part, had the chance to see the phenomenon from her observation post at an altitude of about 250 miles (400 km), an experience few people share.