When and Where to Watch the Lyrid Meteor Shower

Norcross astronomers and sky gazers, it's time to prepare for another meteor shower.

The skies have been largely empty of visible meteor showers since the Quadrantids of early January, but the shooting stars of the Lyrids have been a reliable spectacle for some 2,600 years. The Lyrid meteor shower is expected to make its 2013 debut this week.

The Lyrids meteor shower peaks in 2013 on April 21 and 22, but some meteors may be visible beginning April 16. You can see what to look for in this video of the Lyrid meteor shower. Or check out photos of the Lyrids. And these charts of the Lyrids may help you locate the shooting stars.

The Lyrids tend to be bright and often leave trails and tend to peak at about 10-20 meteors per hour. One of the unpredictable aspects of this shower, though, is that it’s known for uncommon surges that sometimes result in up to 100 shooting starts per hour.

A downside this year is that the moon is expected to be bright until a couple of hours before dawn. Still, the greatest number of shooting stars tend to come after the moon departs anyway, so the show could still make getting up early worth it.

Photo enthusiasts, upload your photos of the Lyrids here.