* Astronomy

Highlights

From a very dark location at that time, look for the Zodiacal Light, a huge soft glowing column of light in the western horizon. It is the light of the Sun reflected off dust particles in the inner solar system. Its axis closely coincides with the ecliptic.

The Lyrids
On April 23 (16-25) the Lyrid meteor shower reaches maximum around 02:00 UT, although the peak is broad enough that the number of meteors should be consistent in the morning twilight. The Lyrids are considered a major shower, but produce a meteor only every 3 to 5 minutes, on average. The Lyrids are named after the constellation of Lyra from which they seem to radiate. 

The Summer Triangle
The morning sky, before dawn, now provides a preview of summer evenings. The Summer Triangle -- Vega, Deneb, and Altair -- holds the central position, high in the south. The scorpion sits low to the south and slightly west. Directly to the arachnid's east is Sagittarius, the Archer, and between the two lies the direction toward the Milky Way galaxy's center. The ribbon of soft light that delineates our galaxy flows up from the south, through the Triangle, and then cascades toward the northern horizon.