The Lyrid meteor shower is expected to take place tonight, with showers set to peak early morning on Earth Day, April 22.

Although the bright moonlight may drown out the spectacular meteor show for some, star gazers are advised to travel to dark areas away from city lights to catch a glimpse of the meteorites.

This year's Lyrid meteor shower is expected to be so bright that it will be able to withstand some moonlight, according to Deborah Byrd of website EarthSky.org

NASA's Bill Cooke also said the moon will "spoil a lot of the show" so stargazers should not set high expectations.

Up to 20 meteors will be visible per hour when it peaks just before dawn on Tuesday, April 22.

Dr Tony Phillips of NASA explained in a blog post that the meteors, which he refers to as flakes of comet dust, are no bigger than grains of sand and will strike the Earth's atmosphere at 110,000 miles per hour before disintegrating and giving off streaks of light.

A live video stream of the Lyrid Meteor shower will be made available by NASA.

The best time to view the Lyrids will be in late evening on April 21, just before moonrise, or in the wee hours before dawn on April 22.