When to See the Lyrid Meteor Shower Light Up the Night Sky - Lifehacker

Beginning April 16, Earth will traverse the tail of the comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher, which will see the Lyrid meteor shower streak across the night sky.

But every April, as Earth passes through the debris left by the tail of the C/1861 G1 Thatcher, the Lyrids race across the sky.

The Lyrids are active each year from about April 16 to 25.

The Lyrids will whet your appetite for meteors, but only just.

One way to make sure you actually catch the Lyrids is to locate Vega, the brilliant star illuminating the meteors’ path at their peak.

You can locate Vega if you “look northeast in the evening for a bright, bluish star above the northeastern horizon.” When it comes to people in the Northern Hemisphere, this is typically between nine and 10 p.m.