Lyrid Meteor Shower Peaks Wednesday

Stargazers might want to look upward Wednesday night to catch a glimpse of the Lyrid Meteor Shower as it peaks.

The annual celestial display has been going on since about April 16 in the nighttime skies over the Northern Hemisphere, but officials at NASA say its peak should arrive Wednesday night.

NASA anticipates peak viewing rates of about 15 to 20 meteors an hour should begin appearing around 10:30 local time for those in the northern hemisphere.

“No special equipment is needed to watch a meteor shower,” NASA advises. “Simply find a dark, open sky away from artificial lights. Lie down comfortably on a blanket or lawn chair, and look straight up.”

A live feed of the shower will run on NASA’s website starting at 10 p.m. Wednesday, central time, for those who have to miss the display due to weather. The feed can be accessed here.

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The “sky treat,” as NASA calls it will appear to originate from the constellation Lyra. The meteors will seem to radiate from Lyra, which “will be above the horizon before midnight and high overhead by dawn local time for Northern Hemisphere observers,” the agency wrote on its website.

For folks who just can’t manage to get stay up that late Wednesday, meteors are expected to be visible in the nighttime sky until April 25 or so, EarthSky reported. This year Lyrid viewing is aided by a waxing crescent moon that is setting in the evenings, leaving the skies darker for spotting meteors, the website noted.

Weather, however, could play a role in how many meteors, if any at all, sky gazers manage to count. In the Tampa Bay area, forecasters at the National Weather Service are calling for a 40 percent chance of showers in the overnight hours Wednesday so some stargazing may be possible if the clouds clear out in time.

To find out what to expect weather wise in your neighborhood, visit the National Weather Service online.

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