Lyrid meteor shower to light up skies over Britain – here’s how to watch

Rob Waugh
·Contributor
Updated ·2 min read
A meteor from the Lyrids meteor shower crossing the milky way. Single exposure.
The Lyrid meteor shower will reach a peak at the end of this week. (Getty)

Meteors will light up the skies over Britain this week as the annual Lyrid shower begins.

The meteor shower is expected to reach its peak on Saturday and Sunday.

The yearly display is caused by the Earth passing through a cloud of debris from a comet called C/186 Thatcher.

Space experts at Royal Museums Greenwich in London said that as this is "just after New Moon" this year, "conditions are favourable".

The best time to see the Lyrids is early in the morning, the museum has advised.

Read more: Lyrid meteor shower captured in time-lapse

There's no need to take binoculars or a telescope with you. Instead, find a suitably dark area outside, give your eyes half an hour to adjust to the dark and hope there isn't too much cloud.

Royal Museums Greenwich offered this advice: "Lying on the ground is a great way to see as much as possible – blanket optional but highly recommended. Reclining deckchairs make an even more comfortable way to view the sky.

"Also, even though summer is rapidly approaching, remember to wrap up warm."

Lyrids are one of the world's oldest-known meteor showers.

Chinese astronomers wrote about the Lyrids in 687BC, writing "at midnight, stars fell like rain".

The Met Office explained that the Lyrid meteor shower is "named as such because it appears to radiate from the constellation Lyra, though it is better to view the Lyrids away from this constellation so they appear longer and more impressive."

Read more: Scientists warn dangerous space rocks could be hiding in meteor shower

To see the shower, look for the Big Dipper or The Plough – they're the same thing, but actually they're the back end of the Great Bear constellation.

Astronomy website Earthsky said: "The Lyrids are known for uncommon surges that can sometimes bring the rate up to 100 per hour.

"Those rare outbursts are not easy to predict, but they’re one of the reasons the tantalising Lyrids are worth checking out."

In the book Observe Meteors, authors David Levy and Stephen Edberg write: "Of the annual meteor showers, this is the first one that really commands attention, one for which you can organise a shower observing party with significant chance of success."

Watch: How to watch April's Lyrid meteor shower