The Lyrids are seen at the Ming'antu observing station of the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, April 19, 2021. /CFP
The Lyrid meteor shower, which occurs between April 15 to 29 every year, will peak this weekend.
The Lyrids' sighting was first recorded over 2,700 years ago in the Chinese Spring and Autumn Annals, making them one of the oldest known meteor showers.
Meteor showers occur when Earth passes debris left behind by comets. As the tiny grains of dust or rock enter the atmosphere at high speeds, the friction between them and the air makes them burn up, producing flashes across the sky.
The Lyrids are associated with Comet Thatcher (C/1861 G1), which is a long-period comet and takes 415.5 years to orbit the sun once, according to NASA.
Like many other meteor showers, the Lyrids were named after the point in the sky where they appear to radiate – the constellation Lyra, in this case.
Although the Lyrids flow is not large – about 15 to 20 meteors per hour, they are known for the luminous dust trains which can be observed for several seconds, according to NASA.
A star is shooting across the sky while the Lyrids occur, Korla City, Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, April 23, 2021. /CFP
Skywatching tips
Dark sky. The Lyrids are best viewed in the Northern Hemisphere. A suburb far away from urban light pollution would be an ideal spot. Luckily, the moon will not pose light interference this year, as the waxing Crescent moon will only be 6 percent illuminated.
Naked eye. No telescope is needed as their limited sight range cannot take much of the sky. NASA also advised viewing the Lyrids away from their radiant for longer and more specular meteors.
Comfortable position. It may not be instant to catch a glimpse of a fireball crossing sky and heading up will quickly make a sore neck, so it would be better to prepare a deck chair or a moisture-proof pad for sitting or lying down.
Other 'bonus'
Before the Lyrids peak, the very thin moon will float near the Pleiades star cluster after sunset on Saturday.
The Pleiades star cluster, like a group of crystal blue diamonds, can be seen with the naked eye. This scene is very suitable for visual observation and photography, according to Song Yuanyuan, an Astronomy Science popularization expert from the Tianjin Science and Technology Museum.
On Sunday evening, the Moon-Venus conjunction will occur in the constellation Taurus. Astronomy enthusiasts will be able to watch the scene for two hours after sunset.