Catch The Lyrid Meteor Shower Tonight

With clear skies in the forecast, an overnight low of 37, and a new moon, conditions are looking pretty great to catch The Lyrid Meteor Shower tonight.  I'm talking an upward of 100 meteors an hour in peak viewing conditions.

Here’s a couple of tips that will improve your meteor shower watching experience.

Set Your Expectations

Don't expect to see E.T. ridding a star across the sky.  So make sure you have lots of beer, just in case you see nothing.  This way, it's a win win. However, you should expect something more like streaks of light across the sky, although the Lyrids are known for producing really big and bright meteors.  You may just be pleasantly surprised.

Dress Appropriately

Dress warm and like I mentioned earlier, bring a beer.  Or maybe some cocoa for the kids.

Get Away From Ambient Light Sources

If you want to see lights, you need to be some place dark.  Drive out to the country or maybe your backyard is country enough.

Patience

This is where the beer comes in handy again.  If you're bored, then have a beer while you wait.  It could take a while before you can see the meteor shower.  Plus your eyes could take about twenty minutes before they can adjust to see.

More tips from Space.com.

Have fun and enjoy the Lyrids!