Where's the Best Place to See the Lyrid Meteor Shower in University Place?

Flakes of comet dust striking the Earth's atmosphere at supersonic speeds will create a spectacular night-sky show beginning April 16.

The annual Lyrid meteor shower debuted Tuesday evening. It peaks Saturday night, April 20 through early Monday, April 22 with 10 to 20 meteors per hour, although outbursts as high as 100 meteors per hour are possible, according to SpaceWeather.com.

There are some excellent places to view the stars in the Seattle-area are near University Place, including Tiger Mountain and Rattlesnake Lake, near North Bend. Perhaps the best place nearby, however, is Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park. One of the best vantage points, however, might be on the other side of Cougar Mountain in Bellevue's Pinnacle neighborhood. The old Nike missle base clearing, just south of the parking lot off 166th Way SE, offers good views of the night sky directly above.

For more information, chek out the Seattle Astronomical Society's website.

The last big meteor shower was the Quadrantids in early January, when clouds threatened to obscure the show and cold weather made the adventure harder with kids. But it's spring now, meaning you can treat meteor shower-watching like fireworks viewing:

• Pack some lawn chairs and blankets so you can get comfortable.
• Find dark skies away from the glare of city lights.
• Bring something warm to drink.
• Lean back and enjoy the show.
• Remember there will be lulls and spurts of action. Be patient.

Lyrid is among the oldest and most reliable meteor showers. Some 2,700 years ago, the ancient Chinese observed the Lyrid meteors “falling like rain” in the year 687 BC.

The meteor shower appears to radiate from Vega, the brightest star in the constellation Lyra. But the meteors have nothing to do with the constellation. The cosmic show is created when Earth passes through the dusty tail of Comet Thatcher.

Check out the NASA video above to learn more about Lyrid. Do you have a favorite stargazing spot in UP?

Expect the most meteors in the hours before dawn Sunday, April 21. That's because the moon is waxing and its brightness may interfere with gazing at the shooting stars earlier in the night.

The meteor shower will taper off after the weekend, but continue through April 25—the next full moon.

Here's the National Weather Service's weather forecast for University Place over the weekend, which may offer the best chance to see meteors Sunday night:

• Today: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 54. West southwest wind 11 to 14 mph.
• Tonight: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 43. Southwest wind 6 to 14 mph.
• Sunday: A 30 percent chance of showers. Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 55. Southwest wind around 6 mph becoming light and variable.
• Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 37. Northeast wind 5 to 8 mph.