LYRID METEOR SHOWER

Earth is entering a stream of debris from Comet Thatcher, source of the annual Lyrid meteor shower. If forecasters are correct, the Lyrids will peak this weekend with as many as 20 meteors per hour--a minor display compared to greater showers like the Perseids and Geminids later in the year. However, dense clumps of dust in Thatcher's debris stream sometimes produce unexpected outbursts