Experience the Dazzling Lyrid Meteor Shower: A Guide to Viewing and Facts

Lyrid is a meteor shower that occurs every year in April, with the peak activity usually taking place around April 22-23. The shower is caused by the Earth passing through the debris trail left behind by the comet C/1861 G1, which was discovered in 1861 by German astronomer Johann Friedrich Julius Schmidt. The comet's orbit takes it through the constellation Lyra, which is how the meteor shower got its name.

The Lyrid meteor shower is known for producing bright, fast-moving meteors that can sometimes leave behind persistent trains. The shower typically produces around 20-25 meteors per hour, with peak activity lasting for a few hours before dawn. The best time to view the Lyrid meteor shower is usually between midnight and dawn, when the Earth's rotation brings the observer's line of sight into the path of the most intense meteor activity.