The Lyrid meteor shower will take place, as it does every year, between 16 and 25 April. The peak of the shower will happen on Earth Day.
Light from the moon can drown out many of the shooting stars, and the quarter moon on the 22nd will dampen the show to a degree, especially later at night.
Meteor showers take place when the Earth flies into the debris field of a comet. The body responsible for this annual event is the long-period comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher. Many of these long-period comets have orbital periods as long as ten thousand years. The comet responsible for the Lyrid meteor shower completes one orbit of the sun every 415 years.
Shooting stars are one of the easiest of all astronomical events to view. No special equipment is needed, and the meteor shower lasts for days. That means a single night of clouds won't keep you from viewing the extravaganza.
This shower of shooting stars will radiate from a region of the sky near the constellation Lyra.
Skywatchers should expect to see between around 10-20 events per hour, although the actual number could be half or double that frequency. One fortunate happenstance of the Lyrid shower is that the shooting stars are often quite bright and dramatic.
Anyone wishing to view the show should head outside, any time after 10 p.m. local time. Generally, viewing of meteor shower is best just before dawn. This year, the Moon will rise around 2:30 a.m. on Earth Day, in the same area of sky as the shower. This means the hour between 1 and 2 in the morning may provide the best time to observe the shower.
"...best viewing will be midnight until dawn on the morning of April 22, provided you have clear, dark skies away from city lights. Northern Hemisphere observers will have a better show than those in the Southern Hemisphere," NASA wrote on their website.
Skywatchers watching the event live should bring plenty of liquids and snacks along, as well as comfortable chairs. Starting about 10 p.m., the shooting stars will become visible low on the eastern horizon. As the night goes on, the center of the celestial show will move to the south. Therefore, a location with a clear horizon to the southeast is ideal. Some shooting stars will be seen both before and after peak days and times.
The meteor shower will be visible online in a live broadcast from the national space agency. This stream will begin around 9:30 p.m., weather permitting, on the Marshall Space Flight Center Ustream page.
