It’s April, spring is springing, and the Lyrid meteor shower is peaking now in celebration. The best views of this celestial show will be on April 21 and 22 this year. One of the oldest known meteor showers, the Lyrids have attracted awe from sky watchers for more than 2,700 years, according to NASA. And it’s easy to see why: this meteor shower is known for its bright, fast meteors and an occasional fireball.
During meteor showers, Earthlings ooh and aah over bits of rock that have broken off comets or asteroids as the travel around the sun. Every year our planet passes through these debris trails. And when these particles hit our atmosphere, they fall and burn up, creating the luminous streaks in the night sky that we call shooting stars. The Lyrids are the product of Comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher, which was discovered in 1861.
Sometimes the Lyrids produce spectacular showers with as many as 100 meteors visible in an hour, but they are usually a little less showy, with 18 or so meteors per hour.
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This year the Lyrids’ maximum will hit at about 4 P.M. EDT on Wednesday. But the show will be visible in the early hours of the morning or after sunset around that time. Although the shower is the product of a comet, the meteors will appear to originate in the night sky near the constellation Lyra, close to its brightest star, Vega. According to NASA, it’s actually better to look slightly away from this point to see the meteors streak across the sky.
For the best chance of viewing the Lyrids, find a dark, safe area with as little light pollution as possible. Give your eyes 30 minutes to adjust to the dark. Lie on your back with your feet to the east, look up and enjoy.