Meteor Shower Tonight: 2011 Lyrids To Peak April 22, 23 (PHOTOS)

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Posted: 04-22-11 07:11 PM

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Dont miss tonight's meteor shower! The 2011 Lyrids meteor shower will be in full effect from late tonight, April 22, into the early morning.

According to EarthSky, April's annual meteor shower brings bright streaks trailing across the sky at around 10-20 meteors per minute when at its peak. They also report that the Lyrids are particularly known for rare outbursts that spontaneously surge to upwards of 100 meteors per hour.

This year may not be as particularly vibrant as previous years, due to the moon, but if you time your viewing just right you should still witness a good show.

From EarthSky:

Unfortunately, in 2011, the waning gibbous moon obstructs the view in the late night and morning hours, the best time to watch the Lyrid shower. As a general rule, the greatest number of Lyrid meteors fall in the dark hours before dawn.

According to Aol News, the Lyrids are one of the oldest known meteor showers, and they note that this year marks "a sort of planetary triple crown" with Earth Day, Good Friday and Passover.

Check out some pics below of Lyrids and other meteor showers, and enjoy the show tonight!

Lyrid Meteor Shower

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