Anyone who enjoys watching the sky for “shooting stars” will have an opportunity to observe an old and reliable meteor display over the next several days: the April Lyrids. The best time to watch will be for a night or two around the peak, April 22.

These meteors are among the oldest known, with ancient records of them dating back nearly 27 centuries. 
The Lyrid meteor shower is also the first significant meteor shower to appear since the beginning of the year.
While it won't produce a storm of meteors, it's a respectable show for those who are patient.
“The annual Lyrid shower … has always been my favorite,” says NASA meteor expert Peter Jenniskens. “After the low (meteor) rates in the cold months of February and March, this shower is the proverbial swallow of spring for observers in the northern hemisphere.” 
And in addition to the Lyrids, there is also a small chance to get a glimpse of some dazzling fireball meteors from a completely different meteor swarm. 
Although probably much more erratic and far less reliable than the Lyrids, it's still worth looking for; one could call it a “wild card” for meteor observers.
The Lyrids are an annual display of fairly fast meteors that may be seen any night from April 16 to 25: they are above one-half of their maximum in numbers for about a day or two centered on the date of their peak activity. This year, the peak is predicted to fall during the daylight hours (for America and Europe) on April 22.
After the gibbous moon sets at about 02:30 A.m. local daylight time that morning, observers near latitude 40 degrees north will still have about 90 minutes of dark sky to watch for the Lyrids before dawn interferes. The southern states are more favored because the Moon sets earlier and twilight begins later. 
A single observer may count anywhere from 10 to 20 meteors per hour.
Norman McLeod, a veteran observer of the American Meteor Society, has described the Lyrids as rich in faint meteors, but with some occasional bright ones. 
British meteor expert Alastair McBeath, in the 2010 Astronomical Calendar notes that the Lyrids are capable of producing meteors that are “spectacularly bright, with approximately 20-25-percent leaving persistent trains.”  Where and when to look
Watching for meteors is easy. Find a dark place away from lights as much as possible. The predawn hours are best, because that's when the part of Earth you're standing on is facing the oncoming stream of debris — mostly sand-grain-sized particles — that make the meteor shower.
Lie back, look up, and scan as much of the sky as possible. The meteors could appear anywhere. Give your eyes at least 15 minutes to adjust to the darkness.
You can distinguish a Lyrid from any other meteors seen around the same time by noting that its trail points back to near the dazzling blue-white star Vega. You'll see this star sitting just above the northeast horizon around 10:00 P.M. local daylight time; by around 01:30 A.M. it will have climbed to a point more than halfway up in the eastern sky. 
Actually the radiant or emanation point for these meteors is just to the southwest of Vega, on the border between Vega's little constellation of Lyra (hence the name “Lyrids”) and the dim, sprawling constellation of Hercules.
(Source: Space.com)