Calling all stargazers! Earth's oldest known meteor shower to peak this week

LAS VEGAS (KSNV) -- Alas! The universe is bringing everyone quarantined at home something new and different to watch than ‘Tiger King'!

Beginning Tuesday night and lasting through Wednesday, stargazers will get their best chance to check out the Lyrid meteor shower.

Even with social distancing remaining a priority, the cosmic light show is likely to illumine the skies as debris falls from the comet Thatcher’s tail and is heated by the earth’s atmosphere.

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According to NASA, the Lyrid meteor shower typically peaks in mid-April annually and has been observed for more than 2,600 years.

The reason this particular meteor shower is called the Lyrids is that it appears, to the earthbound observer, to be originating from the constellation Lyra.

The team atEarthSkysays that the Lyrids are known for outbursts that can cause nearly 100 meteors per hour and comes after a months-long drought that always falls in the first third of the year.

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The shower is likely to peak in the predawn hours of Wednesday morning, and meteor-watchers should expect 10 to 20 meteors per hour.

For potential observers, be sure to stay away from bright city lights. The moon on Tuesday will be a third-quarter moon, so sky-gazers should put aside some more time Wednesday night since there will be a New Moon, providing the best conditions to check out the meteor shower.