For about a month now many people have been trapped inside due to shelter-in-place restrictions to help stop the spread of the Coronavirus. While many people have taken up new hobbies and cleaned every inch of their homes, many people have been bored out of their minds. Sleeping all day and watching Netflix all night, many are running on a 2 PM to 4 AM schedule. With that being said, now is the perfect time to take a step back from the stressful pandemic our country is in, and take a look outside at the amazing astronomical events coming up in the months of April and May.

The Lyrid meteor shower will be active from April 16th to April 26th, and is expected to peak on Wednesday, April 22nd in the predawn hours, along with April 23rd in the early morning.

The shower is caused by a long period of meteor drought that happens from January to April each year. Although the shower only produces 10 to 18 meteor per hour on the peak day, you won’t want to miss this beautiful event.

The best way to observe this event is in the countryside, away from city lights, so if you live in a relatively rural area that’s perfect. You want to have an unobstructed view of the sky, and let your eyes adjust to the dark sky. On any of the active days, around midnight, look toward the star vega for the best visuals.

On April 22nd, the best time is going to be very early in the morning around 5-7 AM.