What are those lights in the night sky? Lyrid meteor shower
visible to Central Texans (from the Austin American Statesman
and Sky and Telescope) Central Texas should see quite a few
meteors over the next few days during the annual Lyrid meteor
shower, said Bob Rose, a meteorologist with the Lower Colorado
River Authority. Rose said the shower is named Lyrid after the
star, Lyra, which is the point where most of the meteors seem to
fall near. He said the shower will peak early Wednesday morning,
two to three hours before dawn, when about 10 to 20 meteors will
fall every hour. Lyra is easy to find because it's marked by the
brilliant blue-white star Vega. Vega ranks fifth brightest of
all nighttime stars. It's best to view meteor showers without
optical aid. Viewers should use just their eyes, so as not to
restrict the field of view. Before midnight, face eastward, and
look about halfway up. After midnight, looking overhead will
probably net you the most meteors. Astronomy magazine has more
on the Lyrid shower