The meteors, which get the name Lyra from the constellation of stars of the same name, are made up of pieces of comet Thatcher’s wreckage.

The annual Lyrid Meteor Shower can be visible over the night sky as early as April 15, Saturday, so skygazers are in for a treat. According to NASA, the celestial show will peak on the night of April 21 and April 22, 2023, and be visible from April 15 to April 29.

While the peak is occurring, skywatchers could expect to see the most shooting stars in the late evening hours of April 21 and into the early, pre-dawn hours of April 22.

According to Smithsonian magazine, viewers may anticipate seeing 18 meteors every hour on average. The famous summer meteor shower known as the Perseids will be outnumbered by the Lyrids, according to research scientist Peter Veres at the Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics’ joint organisation with the Minor Planet Centre, but the shower is still noteworthy because it is one of only about ten that produce more than ten meteors per hour at its peak.

The greatest viewing will occur shortly before dawn, when it is the darkest, according to EarthSky.org. On the nights when it peaks, the 2023 Lyrid meteor shower may, however, be seen in the sky as early as 10:30 p.m.

The Lyrid meteors are renowned for being swift and brilliant, according to NASA. When gliding through the Earth’s atmosphere, lyrids don’t frequently leave behind lengthy, glowing dust trains, but they can occasionally send forth dazzling flashes known as fireballs.

According to NASA, the Lyrid meteors have been studied for the past 2,700 years, and it is generally known that as they travel over the night sky, they leave brilliant dust trails & streaks behind them. The meteors, which are named for the Lyra constellation of stars, are a portion of the comet thatcher’s debris field and are presently speeding through the solar system far from the Sun. It will reverse its direction in another 45 years.