The Lyrid Meteor shower happens annually between April 15th and April 25th. This year the peak of the meteor shower happens tonight around 2 am where stargazers can see up to 20 meteors per hour, but outbursts of up to 100 meteors per hour are sometimes seen with the peak. Look to the northeast through the middle of the night and then overhead by dawn.
The annual meteor shower will coincide with the new moon, which means that barely any lunar light will block viewers from reveling in the celestial light show.
the Lyrids are actually pieces of space debris left over from the periodic Comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher thats travelling 30 miles per second across the atmosphere. The shower has been observed for over 2,600 years and in mid-April. Earth just happens to be in the cross hairs of this stream of space junk which originates from the constellation Lyra.
it may be a little more difficult to view the shower in bigger cities do to light pollution and coronavirus lockdowns. A darker area far from the impacts of light pollution is the best place to view the the night show. The best place to see the shower is in the Northern Hemisphere and most won’t even need a telescope.
After about 30 minutes in the dark, your eyes will adapt and you will begin to see meteors. The good news is the show will last until dawn, so you have plenty of time to catch a glimpse.
