The April Lyrids (LYR, IAU shower number 6 [4]) are a meteor shower lasting from

April 16 to April 26[5] each year. The radiant of the meteor shower is located in the
constellation Lyra, near this constellation's brightest star, Alpha Lyrae (proper name
Vega). Their peak is typically around April 22 each year.

The source of the meteor shower is particles of dust shed by the long-period Comet
The April Lyrids are the strongest annual shower of meteors

The shower usually peaks on around April 22 and the morning of April 23. Counts
typically range from 5 to 20 meteors per hour, averaging around 10.[5] As a result of
light pollution, observers in rural areas will see more than observers in a city. Nights
without a moon in the sky will reveal the most meteors. April Lyrid meteors are usually
around magnitude +2. However, some meteors can be brighter, known as "Lyrid
fireballs", cast shadows for a split second and leave behind smokey debris trails that
last minutes.[6]

The stream of debris is called the Perseid cloud and stretches along the orbit of the
comet Swift–Tuttle. The cloud consists of particles ejected by the comet as it travels
on its 133-year orbit.Most of the particles have been part of the cloud for around a
thousand years. However, there is also a relatively young filament of dust in the
stream that was pulled off the comet in 1865, which can give an early mini-peak the
day before the maximum shower.[6] The dimensions of the cloud in the vicinity of the
Earth are estimated to be approximately 0.1 astronomical units (AU) across and 0.8
AU along the latter’s orbit, spread out by annual interactions with the Earth’s gravity.
[7]

The shower is visible from mid-July each year, with the peak in activity between 9 and
14 August, depending on the particular location of the stream. During the peak, the
rate of meteors reaches 60 or more per hour. They can be seen all across the sky;
however, because of the shower’s radiant in the constellation of Perseus, the Perseids
are primarily visible in the Northern Hemisphere. While many meteors arrive between
dawn and noon, they are usually not visible due to daylight. Some can also be seen
before midnight, often grazing the Earth’s atmosphere to produce long bright trails
and sometimes fireballs. Most Perseids burn up in the atmosphere while at heights
above 80 kilometres (50 mi).
The Sun (or Sol), is the star at the centre of our solar system and is responsible for
the Earth’s climate and weather. The Sun is an almost perfect sphere with a difference
of just 10km in diameter between the poles and the equator. The average radius of the
Sun is 695,508 km (109.2 x that of the Earth) of which 20–25% is the core.

Star Profile
Age: 4.6 Billion Years
Type: Yellow Dwarf (G2V)

Diameter: 1,392,684 km
Equatorial Circumference 4,370,005.6 km

Mass: 1.99 × 10^30 kg (333,060 Earths)

Surface Temperature:5,500 °C

Size Of The Sun

Sun size compared to Earth

Sun size compared to Earth, Neptune, Uranus, Saturn and Jupiter

DETAILED SUN FACTS

The Sun contains 99.86% of the mass in the Solar System.

The mass of the Sun is approximately 330,000 times greater than that of Earth. It is
almost three quarters Hydrogen, whilst most of the remaining mass is Helium.

The Sun is an almost perfect sphere.

There is only a 10 kilometre difference in its polar diameter compared to its equatorial
diameter. Considering the vast expanse of the Sun, this means it is the closest thing
to a perfect sphere that has been observed in nature.

The temperature inside the Sun can reach 15 million degrees Celsius.
At the Sun’s core, energy is generated by nuclear fusion, as Hydrogen converts to
Helium. Because hot objects generally expand, the Sun would explode like a giant
bomb if it weren’t for its enormous gravitational force. The temperature on the surface
of the Sun is closer to 5,600 degrees Celsius.
The Sun will one day be about the size of Earth.

After its red giant phase, the Sun will collapse, retaining its enormous mass, but
containing the approximate volume of our planet. When this happens, it will be called
a white dwarf.
Light from the Sun takes eight minutes to reach Earth.

With a mean average distance of 150 million kilometres from Earth and with light
travelling at 300,000 kilometres per second, dividing one by the other gives us an
approximate time of 500 seconds, or eight minutes and 20 seconds. Although this
energy reaches Earth in a few minutes, it will already have taken millions of years to
travel from the Sun’s core to its surface.
The Sun travels at 220 kilometres per second.

The Sun is 24,000-26,000 light years from the galactic centre and it takes the Sun 225-
250 million years to complete an orbit of the centre of the Milky Way.

1. Plate Tectonics Keep the Planet Comfortable:

Earth is the only planet in the Solar System with plate tectonics. Basically, the outer
crust of the Earth is broken up into regions known as tectonic plates. These are
floating on top of the magma interior of the Earth and can move against one another.
When two plates collide, one plate will subduct (go underneath another), and where
they pull apart, they will allow fresh crust to form.

This process is very important, and for a number of reasons. Not only does it lead to
tectonic resurfacing and geological activity (i.e. earthquakes, volcanic eruptions,
mountain-building, and oceanic trench formation), it is also intrinsic to the carbon
cycle. When microscopic plants in the ocean die, they fall to the bottom of the ocean.

Over long periods of time, the remnants of this life, rich in carbon, are carried back
into the interior of the Earth and recycled. This pulls carbon out of the atmosphere,
which makes sure we don’t suffer a runaway greenhouse effect, which is what
happened on Venus. Without the action of plate tectonics, there would be no way to
recycle this carbon, and the Earth would become an overheated, hellish place.

2. Earth is Almost a Sphere:

Many people tend to think that the Earth is a sphere. In fact, between the 6th cenury
BCE and the modern era, this remained the scientific consensus. But thanks to
modern astronomy and space travel, scientists have since come to 1. Plate Tectonics
Keep the Planet Comfortable:

Earth is the only planet in the Solar System with plate tectonics. Basically, the outer
crust of the Earth is broken up into regions known as tectonic plates. These are
floating on top of the magma interior of the Earth and can move against one another.
When two plates collide, one plate will subduct (go underneath another), and where
they pull apart, they will allow fresh crust to form.

This process is very important, and for a number of reasons. Not only does it lead to
tectonic resurfacing and geological activity (i.e. earthquakes, volcanic eruptions,
mountain-building, and oceanic trench formation), it is also intrinsic to the carbon
cycle. When microscopic plants in the ocean die, they fall to the bottom of the ocean.

Over long periods of time, the remnants of this life, rich in carbon, are carried back
into the interior of the Earth and recycled. This pulls carbon out of the atmosphere,
which makes sure we don’t suffer a runaway greenhouse effect, which is what
happened on Venus. Without the action of plate tectonics, there would be no way to
recycle this carbon, and the Earth would become an overheated, hellish place.

2. Earth is Almost a Sphere:

Many people tend to think that the Earth is a sphere. In fact, between the 6th cenury
BCE and the modern era, this remained the scientific consensus. But thanks to
modern astronomy and space travel, scientists have since come to understand that
the Earth is actually shaped like a flattened sphere (aka. an oblate spheroid).

This shape is similar to a sphere, but where the poles are flattened and the equator
bulges. In the case of the Earth, this bulge is due to our planet’s rotation. This means
that the measurement from pole to pole is about 43 km less than the diameter of Earth
across the equator. Even though the tallest mountain on Earth is Mount Everest, the
feature that’s furthest from the center of the Earth is actually Mount Chimborazo in
Ecuador.
3. Earth is Mostly Iron, Oxygen and Silicon:
If you could separate the Earth out into piles of material, you’d get 32.1 % iron, 30.1%
oxygen, 15.1% silicon, and 13.9% magnesium. Of course, most of this iron is actually
located at the core of the Earth. If you could actually get down and sample the core, it
would be 88% iron. And if you sampled the Earth’s crust, you’d find that 47% of it is
oxygen.spheroid).

This shape is similar to a sphere, but where the poles are flattened and the equator
bulges. In the case of the Earth, this bulge is due to our planet’s rotation. This means
that the measurement from pole to pole is about 43 km less than the diameter of Earth
across the equator. Even though the tallest mountain on Earth is Mount Everest, the
feature that’s furthest from the center of the Earth is actually Mount Chimborazo in
Ecuador.

3. Earth is Mostly Iron, Oxygen and Silicon:

If you could separate the Earth out into piles of material, you’d get 32.1 % iron, 30.1%
oxygen, 15.1% silicon, and 13.9% magnesium. Of course, most of this iron is actually
located at the core of the Earth. If you could actually get down and sample the core, it
would be 88% iron. And if you sampled the Earth’s crust, you’d find that 47% of it is
oxygen.