Did YOU spot the Lyrids last night? Spectacular images reveal meteors streaking across the night sky during annual shower
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Photographers have captured some remarkable pictures of the Lyrid meteor shower above the UK last night.
The meteor shower, visible around the world but best seen from Europe, has been observed for the past 2,700 years and peaked overnight with between ten and 20 an hour.
And the cosmic show will continue on into Saturday, so it is still possible to catch a glimpse of some meteors if you didn't last night.
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John Phelan took this picture, showing the Lyrid meteor at Porthcurno Beach in Cornwall in the early hours of this morning
Nick Watson, a semi-professional photographer from Newcastle, captured an amazing picture of the meteor over Lindisfarne Castle on Holy Island in Northumberland.
He took his photo around 1am BST this morning and incredibly managed to get the colourful Northern Lights in the picture too.
'It was an amazing display and I saw quite a few shooting stars. It was the first time I had seen the Lyrid meteor shower and I'm really pleased to have got a shooting star on camera,' said Nick.
Amateur photographer and astronomer Stephen Cheatley also took a photo of the meteor at the Forest of Bowland in Lancashire.
He spent around one-and-a-half hours watching the meteor and managed to get his incredible picture at around midnight.
'I was very lucky to capture that particular meteor as it was extremely bright,' he said.
John Phelan also took a series of meteor shots at Porthcurno Beach in Cornwall in the early hours of this morning as the sun was rising.
This picture by Stephen Cheatley shows the Lyrid meteor at the Forest of Bowland in Lancashire on the early hours of 23 April. Photographers captured some remarkable pictures of the Lyrid meteor shower above the UK last night
Here a Lyrid meteor is seen by by Lindisfarne Castle on Holy Island in Northumberland, as captured by Nick Watson. He took his photo around 1am this morning and incredibly managed to get the colourful Northern Lights in the picture too
This picture by John Phelan shows the Lyrid meteor at Porthcurno Beach in Cornwall in the early hours of this morning
Another picture by John Phelan shows Lyrid meteors at Porthcurno Beach in Cornwall
The strength of the showers vary from year to year and most years there are no more than five to 20 meteors an hour. But in 1982 Americans counted nearly 100 an hour and in 1803 it was as high as 700 an hour.
This year was particularly good for the Lyrids as the moon was a waxing crescent and wasn't in the way.
The Lyrids occur when Earth passes through debris left by Comet Thatcher, which orbits the solar system every 415 years. The meteors are sand-like particles and leave luminous streaks across the sky as they burn up in the atmosphere.
They are most active in the night sky between April 16 and 25, peaking this week.
The meteor shower is visible around the world but best seen from Europe. Several meteors are visible here
This year was particularly good for the Lyrids as the moon was a waxing crescent and wasn't in the way
Graeme Whipps captured this stunning picture of the Lyrid meteor shower above Pitcaple in Aberdeenshire last night. 'I was out photographing the sky and saw the meteor, which was amazing,' said Mr Whipps, 50, who works as a meteorologist
Chris Burton, meteorologist with forecasting service The Weather Network, said: 'With high pressure dominating the weather this week, much of the [UK] has seen clear skies, providing perfect viewing conditions for the meteor shower.'
Dr Radmila Topalovic, an astronomer from the Royal Observatory, Greenwich in London, added: 'The best place to see the Lyrids is to find an open field where you can see the whole of the night sky. The best time is a few hours after midnight where you can expect to see most of the bright streaks in the early hours of the morning.
'Scan the sky over the course of the night as the meteors can pop out from any direction.'
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