Lyrid Meteor Shower Visibility To Peak Wednesday Morning
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The Lyrid Meteor Shower is set to "peak" before sunrise on Wednesday morning.
While this isn't the best meteor shower, it does offer the potential of 10-15 meteors per hour, and occasionally these "Lyrids" are known to bring bright streaks to the sky.
With clearing skies Tuesday night into Wednesday in the Pittsburgh area, this means we have the opportunity to see some of these meteors, locally.
While they appear to radiate from the constellation Lyra, they can be seen in any part of the sky.
That means the only direction you need to be concerned about looking toward is up!
It is best to find a dark area, away from city lights.
Give your eyes several minutes to adjust, and look up. Pretty simple!
According to NASA, the Lyrid Meteors are caused by space debris from the comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher interacting with our atmosphere.
This comet was discovered in April of 1861 by A.E. Thatcher.
The Lyrid Meteor Shower is also one of the oldest known, with the first recorded sighting in China in the year 687 BC.
Again, this isn't the best meteor shower, but could be a fun activity for you or your family.