Observing

Look out for the Lyrids

Over the course of the next two nights the annual April Lyrid meteor shower is predicted to reach its 2021 peak. Lyrid meteors appear to emanate from the direction of Lyra’s brilliant star Vega, hence the name.

Observing

New nova in Cassiopeia brightens rapidly

There’s a ‘new star’ – a classical nova – on show among the stars of the far-northern constellation of Cassiopeia. Nova Cas 2021 was discovered on 18 March shining at around magnitude +9.6, but it appears to have brightened rapidly to around magnitude +7.5 on 19 March.