Look Up! A Meteor Shower is About to Start This April – Here’s When to See it in New Jersey

If you look up to the night skies this April, you may see something pretty fantastic! A meteor shower is about to start!

The annual Lyrid meteor shower is about to shoot across the sky starting on Monday, April 15, lasting all the way through about April 29. This year, it'll be seen all over the world!

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What is the Lyrid meteor shower?

The lyrid meteor shower is an observable event that takes place every year, peaking around mid-April, according to NASA. It's one of the oldest meteor showers on record, dating back to its first observation in 687 BC by the Chinese. That makes it over 2,700 years old!

The meteors are actually pieces of debris that break off from a larger comet called Comet Thatcher, which was discovered in 1861. Once the pieces break off, they enter the Earth's atmosphere and burn up before they disintegrate and hit the ground. The pieces that break off from Comet Thatcher create the Lyrid meteor shower.

READ MORE: LOOK! A Fireball Lit Up New Jersey on April 10

When's the best time to see the Lyrid meteor shower?

If you want to catch a glimpse of the Lyrid shower at its peak, it'd be best for you to be in an area away from city lights on clear, moonless night between April 21 -23, according to EarthSky.org:

"The Lyrid meteor shower offers 10 to 15 meteors per hour at its peak on a moonless night. In 2024, a bright waxing gibbous moon will compete with Lyrid meteors. Best time to watch: late evening to dawn on the nights of April 21-22 and 22-23."

Generally, you'll be about to see 10-20 Lyrid meteors per hour during its peak.

Let's hope for some clear nights to be able to see it this year! Will you be watching?