April has always been a month known when meteors put on a show and come April 21, many are expecting the annual Lyrids Meteor Shower once more. The annual Lyrids meteor shower will dazzle the night sky from April 16 to 26 although the best peak time to see it will be on the night of April 22-23.
For those who are unaware, Lyrids are pieces of debris from the periodic Comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher. It has been in observance for about 2,600 years and normally takes place by mid of April annually. Our planet Earth apparently runs into these streams of debris thus resulting in the meteor shower.
The best time to watch the Lyrids would be at 3 a.m. local time until sunrise. Apparently viewers will get plenty of help from the darker skies and moonless skies, since this would raise the chances of onlookers of seeing more meteors.
Of course, there is also the matter of pollution where the lesser the pollution would translate to better viewing of the Lyrids. The best way to savor the meteor show is to find a place away from the cityscape without any street lights to fully enjoy the annual show.
As to how many Lyrids will be viewed is anyone's guess, although the peak meteor reportedly ranges between 10-100/hour.
Lyrids will be best seen in the north-northwest skies in the hours of the early morning. In case you haven't seen one, the best way to tell if a meteor belongs to a particular shower is to trace back and see if its path originates from a specific point in the sky, better known as a radiant.
The meteors are expected to come in bright and fast but the naked eye can catch a glimpse of some of the meteors though not in its entirety.
