The annual Lyrid meteor shower will be producing meteors from today right through to April 25 and will peak after midnight on April 22 when there’ll be around 20 meteors per hour. They should be particularly good to view this year because the Moon will set each night before the optimum meteor action.

They Lyrids are named after the constellation from which they appear to radiate and will peak one day after the Moon goes into its first quarter phase. The constellation of Lyra is one of the easiest to locate because it’s marked by the blue-white star Vega.

The highest hourly rate will be in the hours just before dawn when Lyra is at its highest in the sky. The peak is around 20 per hour but in the last few decades there have sometimes been up to 60 meteors per hour. The best advice for viewing is to face east before midnight and observe around halfway up. After midnight you’ll need to look overhead instead.

It’s a great idea to gather friends and family to watch the meteor showers as they spark across the sky. The meteors are made due to the Earth constantly sweeping up interplanetary dust which then burns up as a meteor. For more information and interesting facts about meteors go to astronomy.com.