The world’s oldest recorded meteor shower will peak this week in the sky above County Durham.

The Lyrid meteor shower has been active since the middle of April, but the best chance of seeing these bright and fast bursts of light is almost upon us.

Meteors are small bits of debris left in the wake of certain celestial objects, like asteroids or comets, reports Royal Museums Greenwhich.

The website explains: “When the Earth passes through this trail of material, it scoops up a number of these pieces which fall into the atmosphere.

“These objects are moving extremely fast (about 50km/s) compared to the relatively still atmosphere.

“In fact, they fall so fast that the air in front of them can’t get out of the way fast enough, instead getting rapidly squashed and heating up.”

Royal Museums Greenwhich adds: “This causes the surface of the meteor to reach temperatures as high 1600°C, glowing brightly, which is visible as a short-lived streak of light in the sky.

“Most meteors are so small that they burn up well before they hit the ground. However a handful will get through, with the remnant left on the ground called a meteorite.”

What is the Lyrid meteor shower?

The Lyrid meteor shower is associated with long-period Comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher, according to Royal Museums Greenwhich.

Having been first recorded in 687 BCE, it is the oldest recorded meteor shower which is still visible today.

Royal Museums Greenwhich says: “While the Lyrid meteors will be visible all across the sky, following their path backwards they will appear to originate from the constellation of Lyra, the lyre, which contains the star Vega.

“In reality the meteors have nothing to do with this distant group of stars. The direction they appear to come from is dictated by the motion of the Earth and the debris itself.

“All of the meteors are coming in approximately parallel to one another, like lanes of traffic on a straight motorway. Our perspective makes them appear to travel sideways across the sky.

"Just as a person standing on the central reservation of the motorway will have cars pass on either side of them, the meteors will appear to diverge from the so-called radiant point in Lyra and streak across the sky in all directions.

“Very rarely a meteor will be particularly bright, with those appearing brighter than any of the planets (Venus being typically the brightest) classed as a fireball.”

How to see Lyrid meteor shower peak in County Durham

The Lyrid meteor shower is set to peak tonight (April 22) into the early hours of Tuesday morning (April 23) with up to 18 meteors per hour.

Recommended reading:

The best way of seeing the meteor shower in County Durham is to find a dark site with an “unobstructed” view of the sky.

The best time to see the shower usually is in the early morning of the peak day, advises Royal Museums Greenwhich.

It adds: “Wait until after midnight when the radiant point, in the constellation of Lyra, will have risen in the East.

“The later in the morning you wait, the higher the radiant will rise and the fewer meteors will be hidden below the horizon. But the closer you get to sunrise the brighter the sky is going to become, so plan accordingly.”