Oldest known meteor shower to light up UK skies this week

Oldest known meteor shower to light up UK skies this weekImage source, Getty ImagesPublished1 hour agoIf you enjoy meteor spotting then you are in for a treat with the oldest recorded shower set to light up our skies from 16 April.The Lyrid meteor shower is a result of the Earth passing through dust left behind by Comet Thatcher centuries ago. Expect 10 to 15 meteors an hour but with surges that can occasionally deliver up to 100 per hour. Named after the constellation of Lyra where they appear to originate from, the shower peaks on 22 April. Image source, PAImage caption, A Lyrid meteor is seen in the sky above Liverpool, UK, in April 2025.Distinctive features of the Lyrids are their colours and brightness, along with exceptionally bright fireballs from time to time, outshining the planet Venus.The colours are created by very small dust particles - no bigger than a grain of sand - interacting with the particles and ions in Earth's atmosphere. The light this interaction creates is what we can see as the grains heat up and ionise. The trail is produced as the meteor cools and fades.Fireballs are made when much larger pieces of debris, external - more like the size of a grape or an acorn - pass though the atmosphere. As they are so much bigger when they heat up they create a flash and a line, often called a train, behind them.The Lyrid meteor shower was first recorded in 687 BCE by Chinese astronomers. Comet Thatcher whose dust creates the meteors takes 415 years to complete its orbit of the Sun and won't be visible again until 2283. Fortunately though the meteor shower is an annual event.Is a 'Super El Niño' on the way and how will it affect the UK?Published4 days agoWhat you need to know about hayfever seasonPublished6 days agoThe Eta Ataquarid meteor showerImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Halley's Comet photographed by the Soviet Probe "Vega" in 1986The Lyrids are not the only meteor shower to visit our skies in April.The...