Everything to know as ancient meteor shower to light up Irish skies for 10 days

An ancient meteor shower is set to light up Irish skies for over a week.

First discovered in 687 BC, making it the oldest discovered meteor shower, the Lyrid meteor shower is set to make its return for the first time since 2017.

Usually visible around April time, the shower lights up the skies as a result of dust left behind by the comet, Thatcher, having originated from the constellation, Lyra.

Now, the shower is set to return from Thursday night (April 16) until April 26, and will peak on April 21 with around 10 to 15 meteors an hour, which are set to fly by Earth’s atmosphere and light up the skies.

Some lucky stargazers may see a surge in activity, which could see up to 100 meteors fly by.

Those who are hoping to view some of the lights are advised to head away from cities when it gets dark and find somewhere with minimal light pollution.

The Lyra constellation is, thankfully, quite easy to spot as it contains the star Vega — the brightest in the night sky — with the meteors streaking across the whole sky.

The Lyra constellation as seen by the naked eye. (Credit: Wikipedia/Till Credner/CC By-SA 3.0)

Of course, the weather will also play a factor in how many meteors you’ll be able to see, with clear skies naturally meaning you’ll see more meteors in the shower.

The shower is expected to be very bright, even brighter than Venus at times, with the peak set to be around April 21.

The peak is because the moon will reach its waning crescent phase, and won’t be setting until late at night, meaning we’ll be seeing dark skies.

As for the comet that the Lyrid shower is the resulting debris of, anyone hoping to see the Comet Thatcher will be waiting a long, long, long time — as it takes around 415 years to orbit the sun.

Having first been discovered in 1861, the comet will be next seen passing the Earth around the year 2283 — only 257 years away!

* This article was originally published on Extra.ie.