This week is a special celestial event that causes shooting stars, with peak activity expected on Thursday evening and Friday morning.
Lyrid is one of the oldest known meteor showers of the year, delighting star observers for the first time about 2,700 years ago, according to NASA.
They first became active this year on April 14, but will peak tonight and in the early hours of Friday morning, when people can watch up to 20 meteor showers erupt into the night sky every hour.
Lyrids observed over Burg auf Fehmarn, Germany © Daniel Reinhardt / Picture Alliance via Getty Images
What is the Lyridi meteor shower?
The Lyridi meteor shower usually lasts from April 16 to 25 each year, and its peak is expected to occur this week in the early hours of April 22. This is one of the oldest meteor showers known to man and originated from the lyre – a point in the constellation Lyra.
Meteors are dust particles ejected by Comet Thatcher, an ancient comet first discovered in 1861 that orbits the sun once every 415 years. When particles enter the Earth’s atmosphere, they launch overhead at 30 miles per second and glow as they burn.
Lyridi meteor shower observed over the ancient city of Aizanoi in Kutahya, Turkey © Fatma Selma Kocabas Aydin / Anadolu Agency / Getty Images
How can I observe the Lyridi meteor shower?
These shooting stars are usually best seen from a place free of light pollution, such as a dark sky reserve, but as it happens, there is a bright, waning moon in the sky tonight, so it can interfere with viewing conditions.
Observers in the Northern Hemisphere will see the most Lyrids, and the best time to watch is between midnight and 2 a.m., so you may want to stay up late or get up early to catch this special celestial event. The good news is that shooting stars can be seen with the naked eye, and as a bonus you may be able to spot one or two at night thereafter.
It is expected that 10-20 moderately bright meteors will be visible per hour at the peak of the rain, although on various occasions in the past the rain has produced hundreds of meteors.
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