Lyrid meteor shower 2020 coincides with a new moon on Tuesday giving stargazers especially dark skies to watch the celestial spectacle

Stargazers will have especially dark skies to witness the annual Lyrid meteor shower on Tuesday as the show will coincide with a new moon, the Daily Mail reports.  

The annual show is expected to reach its peak on Tuesday, April 21 with 10 to 15 meteors per hour and the best time to watch is between midnight and dawn. 

It's the first shower since early January so even though it's a relatively calm show compared to others, it's welcomed by meteor-watchers and is the oldest recorded meteor-shower - with the first sighting from ancient China in 687 BC. 

To get the best view of the falling debris you will need to find a dark sky area during the peak night on Tuesday into Wednesday. 

Last years Lyrids happened at the same time as a bright waning gibbous moon — a phase that comes very close to being a full moon. 

The Lyrids are rock and dust left behind by the comet C/1861 G (Thatcher) as the Earth drifts through a cloud of debris left behind by the icy space rock.  

Every year, the Earth intersects with Thatcher's dusty tail and particles of the comet are seen streaking through the sky where the usually burn up. 

Specks of meteor travel at about 110,000 mph.  

While meteor showers create streaks in the sky that can be seen on Earth from miles away, the meteoroids that cause them are actually quite small.

Some meteors leave brilliant trails behind them in the form of ionized gas.