Lyrid meteor shower Northern Ireland tonight - everything you need to know

What are the April Lyrids?

Together, they are a meteor shower and occur every year between April 16 and 26.

Tonight (April 22, 2021) is when they usually peak so you should grab yourself a warm coat, a hot chocolate and a pair of binoculours or a telescope, head to the darkest part of your garden and look up.

Experts say the best time to catch a glimpse of the meteor shower is when the moon sets.

The moon is due to set between 3am and 4am so you might want to sneak off to bed a little earlier than usual.

The first record we have of the April Lyrids occurred in China in 687 BC when Chinese court astronomers reported "in the middle of the night, stars fell like rain."

For the duration of the meteor shower, stargazers can expect to see between five and 20 meteors leaving the average over the 10 day period at 10 or so meteors per hour.

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