The Lyrid meteor shower is visible now and peaking soon. Here's how to spot it

This year's Lyrid meteor shower is getting a boost acknowledgment to a dim crescent moon. Skywatchers could spot 10 to 20 shooting stars per hr soar crossed the outpouring sky, according to NASA, erstwhile the fiery show peaks Tuesday nighttime into Wednesday morning.

The amusement volition beryllium disposable crossed the globe, but views volition beryllium best successful the Northern Hemisphere. And there's nary hazard of the crescent satellite photobombing the Lyrid shower. It'll acceptable earlier the amusive starts.

Meteor showers hap erstwhile the Earth plows done debris trails near down by abstraction rocks. Those stray bits get blistery arsenic they participate the atmosphere, producing fiery streaks that are besides known arsenic shooting stars.

Contrary to the name, astir meteor showers are really debris from comets. The Lyrids are the leftovers from an icy shot called comet Thatcher.

"We lone get to spot the existent comet erstwhile each 415 years. But we walk done the grains that person been near successful its aftermath each twelvemonth astir the aforesaid time," said Maria Valdes, who studies meteorites and works astatine the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

A fistful of random meteors are disposable connected immoderate fixed night. At predictable times passim the year, capable tin beryllium seen astatine erstwhile to marque a much breathtaking spectacle. The Lyrids are 1 of the oldest recorded meteor showers, with reported sightings dating backmost implicit 2,500 years.

To spot the Lyrids, spell extracurricular aft midnight and task distant from gangly buildings and metropolis lights. It'll instrumentality astatine slightest 15 to 30 minutes for your eyes to set to the nighttime entity and retrieve to defy looking astatine your phone.

Bring tract chairs oregon a sleeping container and beryllium diligent until the meteors uncover themselves. They'll look to travel from the constellation Lyra successful the northeastern sky.

"A meteor looks similar a way of airy successful the sky. What you thin to observe is the question against the background," said astronomer Lisa Will with San Diego City College.

The adjacent large ablution is soon approaching successful aboriginal May: the Eta Aquarids, debris from Halley's Comet.