Lyrid Meteor Shower 2013: Where to Watch the Cosmic Display Live (Video)

The Lyrid meteor shower occurs just once a year in mid-April and now, you may have the opportunity to see it yourself. The peak of the shower may have occurred last night, but there's still time to catch the celestial fireworks display tomorrow morning. You could still be able to see a few meteors in the early predawn hours.

The shower itself occurs just once a year when Earth passes through a trail of dusty debris from the Comet Thatcher (C/1861 G1), which orbits the sun once every 415 years. The comet was first discovered in 1861, about a week before the Civil War, by an astronomer in New York. It was only later, though, that the comet was linked to the Lyrid meteor shower.

The meteors from the shower appear to radiate out from the small constellation, Lyra, which can be found about 7 degrees southwest of the blue-white star, Vega, according to Space.com. While it's usually not as spectacular as the Perseid shower, which usually occurs in the summer, it still puts on a moderate display. Observers with clear, dark skies can often spot between 15 to 20 meteors per hour. Last night, though, was less than spectacular; a bright moon kept the meteors that streaked across the sky at dim levels.

That's not to say that people didn't see meteors, though. Several pictures of the display early this morning were posted to EarthSky. You can see brilliant streaks of light surrounded by stars in the photographs.

So how exactly can you see the shower? Make sure to get up early tomorrow morning after the moon has set--around 4 a.m. Be sure you're away from any city lights, and get comfortable--you may be waiting for a while. Also, don't stare directly at Lyra, the radiant point of the meteor shower. Instead, lie on your back and look straight up.

Want to see the shower online? Check out this time lapse video of the event, originally appearing here.