Lyrid meteor shower is expected to peak just before dawn on 22 April, up to 20 meteors will likely be visible

Keep your heads up at night this weekend to witness a spectacular celestial show as scientists expect the Lyrid meteor shower to peak shortly before dawn on 22 April. [caption id=“attachment_4439775” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  In 2012, Lyrid meteor shower peaked on the Earth. NASA.[/caption] Up to 20 meteors per hour will likely be visible overnight on 21 to 22 April, Xinhua news agency reported on 18 April citing NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. In most parts of India, you will be able to view the Lyrid meteor shower except some northern territories, as a storm is expected to be blowing across China which may block the visibility of the meteor shower. To view the Lyrid shower this weekend, observers should find an area away from light pollution on the night of 21 April. As the waxing Moon may interfere with visibility, the best time to view it is the few hours after the Moon sets. Special equipment like telescopes and binoculars are not necessary to view the Lyrid meteor shower, which is safe to view with naked eyes. The Lyrids are classified as a medium-strength shower and are visible every year in April, according to the Space Science Telescope Institute in Baltimore, Maryland. The Lyrid meteor shower is one of the oldest known meteor showers. Records of this shower go back some 2,700 years, according to American astronomer Bruce McClure. With inputs from IANS