Sky watchers in the Northern Hemisphere in an area away from excessive artificial light and cloudy weather should be able to see the peak of the Lyrids meteor shower this weekend.
Why it matters: It's one of the oldest known meteor showers, with the first recorded sighting going back to 687 B.C. in China, according to NASA.
Xprize, a nonprofit that holds international contests to stimulate technological innovation, unveiled an $11-million dollar competition on Friday to transform how the world detects and fights wildfires.
Why it matters: With global warming and land-use change projected to make wildfires more frequent, intense, and possibly more destructive, wildfire agencies around the world may have to the adopt novel technologies and techniques to control future blazes.
