Gear up for a starry night as Lyrid meteor shower strikes the sky!

Get ready for a starry night! The annual Lyrid meteor shower will land you among the stars this weekend.

The Lyrid meteors are pieces of the comet Thatcher, discovered and last seen in 1861. The meteors shoot across our sky as the Earth moves through a stream of debris from this comet.

According to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory this year's peak viewing nights will be April 22 and 23.

Every April those space scraps hit Earth's atmosphere at 109,600 miles per hour, "vaporizing from friction with the air and leaving behind the streaks of light we call meteors", Astronomy Magazine explains.

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Meteor showers are named after the constellation coinciding with the area in the sky from which the meteors seem to emerge. The term 'Lyrids' too is derived from the Lyra constellation from which they will appear.

Stargzaers need no special equipment to witness this marvel of nature. So all the stellar searchers lay back and take NASA's standing advice: "Simply find a dark, open sky away from artificial lights. Lie down comfortably on a blanket or lawn chair, and look straight up."