The Lyrid meteor shower is underway, and stargazers will have a full week to spot a shooting star.
If cloud cover is minimal and the sky remains moonless, skywatchers should be able to see up to 20 meteors in an hour when the meteor shower peaks in the early-morning hours of April 22, according to EarthSky.
To spot this meteor shower, you’ll want to look toward the star Vega, which rises above the horizon in the northeast at 9 or 10 p.m. local time and moves upward as the night progresses, EarthSky also said.
Meteor showers can be unpredictable, but to give yourself the best chance to spot fireballs, be sure to wake up early and look to the sky in the hours just prior to sunrise. Astronomers don’t expect an outburst of meteors at any point during the Lyrids this year, but if an unexpected outburst happens, you could see as many as 100 meteors in one hour.
Starting in the middle of the month, the Lyrids is the oldest meteor shower that impacts Earth, according to Travel and Leisure. This meteor shower occurs when the Earth passes through the dusty trail of Comet Thatcher, which orbits the sun once every 415 years or so, Space.com said.
This meteor shower will be of medium brightness, so while it isn’t the most dazzling display you’ll see in 2018, it will still provide plenty of fireworks for even the most novice of skywatchers – as long as you’re patient.
https://weather.com/science/space/news/2018-04-16-lyrid-meteor-shower
“… be sure to wake up early and look to the sky in the hours just prior to sunrise.”
Only time I do that is if I’m going fishing.
“….To spot this meteor shower, you’ll want to look toward the star Vega, which rises above the horizon in the northeast at 9 or 10 p.m…..”
I looked at about 2 AM and didn’t see any meteors.