The world’s oldest known meteor shower will be visible this week - and you might be able to spot it from London.
First spotted in 687 BC, the Lyrid meteor shower, which comes from debris from Comet Thatcher, passes by Earth once a year.
The comet itself has not been visible from Earth since 1861, and won’t be seen for another 257 years, but if you look up at the skies at the right time on Wednesday, you could see a celestial spectacle.
Here is everything you need to know about the Lyrid meteor shower.
What is the Lyrid Meteor Shower?
The Lyrid meteor shower gets its name from the Lyra constellation, where the meteors appear to originate from in the sky, even though they actually have nothing to do with the stars.
The shooting stars come from debris from Comet Thatcher burning up as it hits our atmosphere.
Up to 100 meteors can be seen per hour during the shower’s peak, flying past Earth at around 30 miles per second.
The meteors move so fast that air particles in front can’t get out of the way in time, instead becoming rapidly compressed and heating up to temperatures as high as 1600C, causing them to shine brightly as they soar through the sky.
The Lyrids are known for leaving trails in the sky that can last for several seconds as the ionised gas hangs in the air.
Other distinctive features of the Lyrids are their colours and brightness, and occasionally bright fireballs, which outshine the planet Venus.
When can I see it?
The Lyrid meteor shower began on Thursday April 16 and will be visible until Saturday April 25 but it is set to peak between midnight on Wednesday and the early hours of Thursday morning, when Lyra is highest in the sky.
Experts say that the best time to see the meteors will be from around 2am once the Moon has set and the Earth has spun towards the cloud of debris the Lyrids originate from.
The chance of seeing the shower is greater this year, as the moon will only be a crescent and is due to set in the early evening around the peak, reducing the glare of moonlight that could obscure the light of shooting stars.
Where is the best place to see the shower?
The meteors will appear to come from near Vega, the bright star at the topmost tip of the Lyra constellation. This will be in the eastern part of the sky, but they will then streak away from Vega, making it advisable to simply look straight up.
The meteor shower is visible with the naked eye, so no specialist equipment like telescopes or binoculars is needed.
No phone is required either - there is almost no chance of capturing a photo or video of a meteor on a phone camera, while light from the screen will reduce chances of spotting one.
Along with light pollution, cloud cover is the biggest obstacle to seeing the meteors - and thankfully there is little cloud in the forecast this evening.
While there are spots to see the event in London, experts advise more remote areas away from light pollution for the best view.
Scientist and meteorite expert Dr Ashley King says: “The darker the skies, the better your chances of seeing the really faint meteors as well.
"You could go to the coast or stand on a hill in the middle of the countryside somewhere.”
Dr King also urged patience, saying you may not initially see anything while your eyes adjust to the dark.
He added: “Once you get used to the low light levels you’ll begin to notice more and more. So don’t give up too quickly.”
Greenwich Observatory said the best way to see the showers is to lie down in a dark area with an unobstructed view of the sky.
The observatory said: “The number of meteors you actually see will depend on all sorts of things, from the time of night to the level of background light.
“A bright sky will drown out the fainter meteors, making them much more difficult to see.”
