Be sure to look up! Lyrid meteor shower will peak this week. Here’s when to see it

You may still be stuck at home due to the coronavirus pandemic, but this week, the night sky is bringing the show to you — the Lyrid meteor shower is set to peak.

The Lyrids are active annually from roughly April 16-25 and are expected to ramp up this year late Sunday, EarthSky reported. The shower is expected to reach its peak before dawn on Wednesday, producing an estimated 10 to 15 meteors an hour.

Conditions for viewing are expected to be just right — the moon will be new on Thursday, meaning the sky will have little to no light from the moon this week.

Meteors will originate in the constellation Lyra — called the radiant — high in the evening sky northeast of Vega, one of the brightest stars in the night sky during spring and summer, Space.com reported

Lyra is a small constellation that resembles a harp and takes its name from the legend of Orpheus, who was given a harp by the Greek god Apollo.

Lyrid meteors are said to be relatively fast, though not as fast as November’s Leonids, NASA meteor expert Bill Cooke told Space.com.

“The Leonids hit us head-on,” he said. “The Lyrids are more like hitting the left front fender.”

Lyrid meteors can occasionally appear in what’s called an “outburst,” producing up to 100 meteors an hour, but outbursts are difficult to predict and one isn’t expect this year, Space.com reported.

Dust particles that create Lyrid meteors come from an obscure comet called C/1861 G1, Astronomy reported. Also known as Comet Thatcher, C/1861 G1 orbits the sun once every 415 years, which is the longest orbit of a meteor-producing comet.

The Lyrid meteor shower is believed to be one of the oldest known, with sightings recorded as far back as 2,700 years ago, according to EarthSky.

This story was originally published April 19, 2020 at 1:41 PM with the headline "Be sure to look up! Lyrid meteor shower will peak this week. Here’s when to see it."