The Lyrid meteor shower is set to begin this Thursday and stargazers can feast their eyes on the otherworldly show of stars shooting through the night sky.

According to Express UK, about 10 to 20 meteors will be visible in the sky every hour and most of these shooting stars will leave behind a bright gas trail that will be a delight to see for a couple of seconds.

The Lyrid meteor shower is expected to reach its peak this year on the night of April 22, 2015 or the early hours of April 23, 2015.

This meteor shower is actually an ancient phenomenon that started 2,600 years ago.

Scientists explain that the phenomenon is due to the Earth's annual crossing of the path of Comet Thatcher.

Stargazers should also be in the lookout for uncommon surges that could bring the rate of shooting meteors to 100per hour, according to CBS Local.

The uncommon surges only happen when the Earth passes through an unusually thick clump comet rubble.

The last time that this uncommon surge took place was way back in 1982.

There is no need for certain devices just to view the Lyrid meteor shower. The crescent moon will make the sky dark enough for general viewers to see the majestic scenery.

According to Planet Save, the best times to catch the Lyrid meteor shower are the hours before dawn and anytime after the sky turns dark in the inclusive dates.

In 1803, the Lyrid meteor shower produced a storm of up to 700 meteors per hour.

Check out the footage of last year's Lyrid meteor shower below: