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NASA astronaut Jessica Meir captured this image of the Lyrid meteor shower above Earth from aboard the ISS. (Image credit: NASA\/Jessica Meir)<\/p>\n
The Lyrid meteor shower peaks tonight (April 21). And, if you spot any Lyrid meteors, you have something cool in common with an astronaut!<\/p>\n
Yesterday (April 20), NASA astronaut Jessica Meir shared a photograph that she took of the Lyrid meteor shower<\/a> from aboard the International Space Station<\/a> (ISS). But her view was a bit different from yours, as she saw a Lyrid streaking through Earth’s atmosphere<\/a> from above.<\/p>\n What is it? <\/p>\n The Lyrid meteor shower<\/a> is at its peak this week, with prime viewing happening overnight from April 21 to April 22.<\/p>\n Article continues below <\/p>\n You may like<\/p>\n The Lyrids are made up of bits of debris trailing the long-period comet<\/a> C\/1861 G1 Thatcher, which was discovered in 1861. Long-period comets have very long orbital periods, taking hundreds of years or more to orbit the sun<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every year around this time, Earth passes through this comet’s debris field. Pieces of it burn up in our atmosphere, creating the spectacular meteors that streak across the sky.<\/p>\n The shower produces up to 15 to 20 Lyrid meteors per hour. You can see the Lyrids radiating from around the constellation<\/a> Lyra (hence their name). If you can, find dark skies for optimal viewing.<\/p>\n In a photograph snapped from aboard the ISS, Meir revealed that she was able to see a Lyrid meteor shower lighting up the dark night skies over Earth.<\/p>\n Have you seen any shooting stars lately? We\u2019re in the midst of the Lyrid Meteor shower, and I was lucky enough to photograph some from the @Space_Station cupola. The Lyrids are an annual event best viewed in the Northern Hemisphere by looking toward the constellation Lyra in the\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/B2FqMdEuqsApril 20, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n