Tonight (April 22) is the peak night for the Lyrid meteor shower. The best viewing will be outdoors gazing northeast, the darker the sky the better.

The numbers of meteors can range to a few an hour to a large number. There have been estimates of less than 20 meteors in an hour, but don’t count on it. Most of the meteors will appear to come from the northeast, in the vicinity of the constellation Lyra.

A gibbous moon, almost in the last quarter, will interfere when it rises after midnight.

The meteors are remnants of Comet Thatcher, a periodic comet that circles the sun every 417 years. A trail of debris follows the orbit of the comet. While the comet is too far away to observe, the earth will pass annually through the comet’s dust trail.

If you miss tonight, you still might see a meteor in the nights ahead.