Meteor shower activity picks up in the month of April, as the Lyrid meteor shower peaks during the night of the 21st, and the early morning of the 22. The best time to view the Lyrid meteor shower will be during the morning hours of the 22nd when the moon sets at around 3 am. This should give you a several hours of dark sky viewing before the sun comes up. Move away from city lights, and get out into the country side to get the darkest skies. Since it is still spring, expect a chill in the air, so bring along a warm jacket, blanket, and a Thermos of something hot to drink.
Expect to see about 10 meteors per hour with the Lyrid showers, certainly not the best rate for meteor showers. However, these showers will probably bring the darkest skies of the year for meteor viewing, as all of the other major showers for the rest of the year occur near a full moon. So if you want to wish upon a falling star this year, then the Lyrids may be your best bet.
The showers start on April 16th, and continue through the 26th. There are also a couple of other minor showers ongoing at the same time as the Lyrids. If you happen to see a meteor during this time period, be sure to trace a path back towards the meteor's origin, and you should end up in the constellation Lyra. If it is some other constellation, then you likely saw a meteor from one of these minor events.
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