If you’re a fan of stargazing, make sure you have an eye to the skies this evening.
The Lyrid Meteor Shower peaks tonight, with up to 15 ‘shooting stars’ soaring overhead every hour.
However, it might be wise to stock up on coffee if you want to stay awake for it.
The shower will officially peak just before dawn – between about 3-5am.
Thankfully, you won’t need a telescope to see the Lyrid Meteor Shower, although you’ll have a better chance of spotting the meteors if you opt for an area that’s free of artificial lights.
‘With the Lyrids you’ll be looking for a little flurry of short-lived streaks of light – what you might popularly call shooting stars,’ explained Dr Robert Massey, deputy executive director at the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS).
The Lyrids have been observed and reported since 687 BC – and no other modern shower has been recorded as far back in time.
‘We think they’re the earliest meteor shower ever seen by humans – more than 2,700 years ago, right back in the 7th century BC,’ Dr Massey added.
The Lyrid shower (pictured) takes its name from the constellation of Lyra, where the meteors appear to originate from
Multiple exposures were combined to produce this image of the Lyrids shower over Michaelskapelle on April 20, 2020 in Niederhollabrunn, Austria
A meteor shower happens when Earth passes through the path of a comet – icy, rocky bodies left over from the formation of the solar system.
When this happens, the bits of comet debris, most no larger than a grain of sand, create streaks of light in the night sky as they burn up in Earth’s atmosphere.
These streaks are known as shooting stars, even though they are not stars at all – which is why some astronomers object to this term.
The Lyrids specifically are caused by Earth passing through the dusty trail left by Comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher, a comet that orbits the sun roughly every 415 years.
‘As these comet particles burn up in our atmosphere, they produce bright streaks of light, what we see as meteors,’ said Dr Shyam Balaji, a physicist at King’s College London.
‘Lyrid meteors are known for being bright and fast, often leaving glowing trails in the sky that linger for a few seconds.’
To view the shower, look to the northeast sky during the late evening and find the star Vega in the Lyra constellation, as this is where they will appear to originate.
‘However, you don’t need to look directly at Lyra – meteors can appear in all parts of the sky,’ added Dr Balaji.
The Lyrids will be visible all across the sky, although they appear to originate from the constellation of Lyra, which is where they get their name
With the Lyrids you’ll be looking for a little flurry of short-lived streaks of light. Pictured, the Lyrids over Tissington, Derbyshire, April 2021
Because meteors can be quite faint, it is best to look out for them in a dark sky, free of moonlight and artificial lights with a wide an unobstructed view of the sky.
‘As with almost every shower, try and find a wide open space, as far from city lights as possible and fill your view with as much of the night sky as possible,’ said Dr Greg Brown, public astronomy officer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich.
‘Lying down on a deckchair is a great way to do this while being comfortable.
‘And while the temperatures are still climbing it can still get quite cold in the early hours of the morning when these showers are best seen, so don’t forget to wrap up warm.’
It’s worth bearing in mind that although the peak is tonight, the Lyrids will be visible through until Saturday (April 26).
Unfortunately, the weather forecast paints a rather bleak picture for this evening.
The Met Office predicts that there will be heavy showers this afternoon with hail and thunder for some – although this should mostly clear by the evening.
‘Rain will clear eastwards this evening, then it will be dry overnight with lengthy clear spells. A few fog patches developing, with temperatures falling close to freezing in the countryside,’ it explained.
The Lyrid Meteor Shower is active through most of April, but will officially reach its peak on Tuesday morning. Pictured over Tackley, Oxfordshire in April 2021
Throughout the year, there are usually 12 meteor shower, but only one has already happened and the biggest one is still to come.
The Eta Aquariids is visible from about April 19 to about May 28 each year with peak activity in 2025 on May 5.
Eta Aquariids are known for their impressive speed, traveling at about 148,000mph (66 km/s) into Earth’s atmosphere.
Another significant shower is the Delta Aquariids in July (25 meteors per hour) followed by the Perseids in August (150 shooting stars per hour).
In December, the Geminids peak around the middle of December and send up to 150 bright shooting stars whizzing through the sky per hour.
Aside from its high rate of shooting stars, the Geminids are special because the meteors are multi-coloured – mainly white, some yellow and a few green, red and blue.
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