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The annual Lyrids Meteor Shower is set to light up the skies over the next week, as stargazers are encouraged to look up.
This year, the meteor shower will take place between April 17 and April 26, but will peak on the night of April 21, into the early hours of April 22.
The Lyrids will be visible from across the northern hemisphere, meaning everyone in the United States should be able to catch a glimpse of the shooting stars—as long as the skies are clear.
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The meteors, or 'shooting stars', will appear as a streak in the sky, and on some occasions appear as a fireball or bright flash.
In a moonless sky, some Lyrid meteors can leave a trail of ionized gases that glow for a moment after the meteor has passed.
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How to Watch the Lyrids Meteor Shower
At the point of its peak on the night of April 21 into the morning of April 22, stargazers should be able to see between 10 and 15 meteors an hour streaking across the sky.
You will not need any special equipment to watch the meteor shower, as the Lyrids will be visible with the naked eye.
The waning crescent moon will be 40 percent full, and while it will interfere slightly with viewing the meteors, it will not have too much of an effect on brighter shooting stars.
Robert Lunsford of the American Meteor Society told Newsweek: "The best time to view the Lyrid meteor shower would be on the morning of Tuesday, April 22nd. This is when the Earth passes through the core of the debris field created by Comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher."
He warned, however, that "on that morning the half-illuminated moon will rise near 1 a.m. daylight-saving time, and will obscure the fainter meteors. Therefore, hourly rates will only be between 5-10 instead of the normal 10-15 per hour."
As for a tip to best view the Lyrids shower, he advised: "Face toward the north with the moon at your back. More activity will be seen closer to dawn compared to midnight."
Robert Massey of the UK's Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) said in a statement: "The radiant—the point of the sky they appear to come from—is in the constellation of Lyra, near the bright star Vega, part of the Summer Triangle.
"So if you're looking in the small hours of the morning—which is the best time to look—if you've got a clear sky just look up. The radiant will be slightly over towards the east, but it's not absolutely critical which direction you're looking."
For stargazers in the United States, the bright star Vega will become visible over the northeast horizon between 9 and 10pm, and will climb higher in the sky until the meteors radiating from it streak across.
What Are the Lyrids?
The Lyrids are one of the oldest known meteor showers, first recorded in the 7th century BC—more than 2,700 years ago.
Lunsford told Newsweek: "The most notable feature about the Lyrids is that they have been viewed continuously for nearly 3000 years, longer than any other meteor shower currently active."
They come from the tail of Comet Thatcher, which last came close to the sun in 1861, and will not do so again until the 23rd century.
Thatcher left a stream of debris in its wake, and when that debris comes close to Earth, some of it burns up in our atmosphere, bringing more meteors to our skies than usual.
The meteors heat up, and "super-heat" the air around them, the RAS said, leading to streaks of light visible from Earth.
The Lyrids shower peaks in April, when Earth intersects the dust cloud left behind by Comet Thatcher.
Update, 04/21/2025, 10:45 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with comment from Robert Lunsford.
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