Prepare April for Lyrids Meteor Shower

An average meteor shower, Lyrids, at their peak are usually producing about 20 meteors per hour. These meteors can produce bright dust trails that last for several seconds. The shower peaks usually on April 21 & 22, some meteors also can be visible from April 16 - 25. When it's new moon (april 21, 07.18 UTC), to get in the way in 2012, this really should be a spectacular show. Just wait and see for meteor shower, radiating from the Lyra constellation after midnight.

If you're not sure where is Lyra in the sky, picture given below will help you find Lyra from both the Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere:

Northern Hemisphere

Southern Hemisphere

Hourly rates can reach about 10 meteors per hour at maximum. The Lyrids are particularly interesting for two reason. First, observations have been identified back to at least 2600 years, which is longer than any other meteor shower. Second, the meteor shower occasionally experiences an outburst of about 100 meteors per hour and the reason is basically unknown.