meteor shower

The Eta Aquarids will peak on the evening of May 6, and will be even more impressive than the Lyrids, with up to 30 shooting stars every hour!

There have been rare occasions when the Lyrids have reached 100 meteors an hour but it is usually closer to 10-20 at their peak.

Although not numerous, Lyrids are bright and fast meteors, the weather agency said.

The Lyrids are bits of debris left behind by the repeat passages through the inner solar system of comet Thatcher, the Pagasa said in its astronomical diary for the month.

Merseyside skies will also play host to a series of meteor showers over the next few months including the Lyrids Meteor Shower (April 22-23), Eta (May 6-7) and Delta Aquarids (July 28-29).

11pm The oldest annual meteor shower known to humankind, known as the Lyrids, will be visible from Earth.

THE first shooting stars of Spring, called Lyrids, appeared in the night sky on Friday night, reaching speeds of up to 50 kilometres per second.

The Full Moon occurs on the night of the 21st/22nd of this month and will unfortunately interfere with April's regular meteor shower, the Lyrids, which peak at the same time.

The Lyrids Meteor Shower arrives on April 22 and 23, when it will compete with a full moon.

April 22 and 23 - The Lyrids THE Lyrids Meteor Shower is classed as an "average" shower, usually producing about 20 meteors per hour at its peak.

Several second-tier events, such as the Lyrids in April and the Orionids in October, yield significantly lower rates, typically about 20 per hour.

* April 21 and 22 - The Lyrids Meteor Shower is classed as an "average" shower, usually producing about 20 meteors per hour at its peak.

ETA = eta Aquariids MCP = May Capricornids LYR = Lyrids SPO = sporadics ASC = alpha Scorpiids