Lyrids

When are the Lyrids?

The Lyrids are active from about 20 Apr to 24 Apr each year and peak around 22 Apr. Rates vary from year to year, so SkyMate doesn’t quote a peak rate for this shower. For local times, the Moon and the best hours from your place, open the page for the year.

• Lyrids 2026Active 20–24 AprPeak ~22 Apr
• Lyrids 2027Active 20–24 AprPeak ~22 Apr

How to watch

The radiant rises in the evening for northern observers but is highest before dawn, so the last few hours of darkness are best. Southern observers see it lower and later.

Get as far from streetlights as you can and give your eyes at least 20 minutes to adjust to the dark. Every glance at a bright phone screen resets that, so keep it away or use a red night mode.

Lie back on a reclining chair or a mat and take in as much sky as possible, looking about halfway up rather than straight at the radiant. Meteors can appear anywhere; the ones far from the radiant have longer trails.

You need no equipment. Binoculars and telescopes show only a tiny patch of sky, so they make you miss meteors. Dress warmly, even in summer, and plan to watch for at least an hour: meteors come in clumps and lulls.

Where do they come from?

The Lyrids are dust from Comet Thatcher (C/1861 G1), which takes about 415 years to orbit the Sun. Records of the shower go back more than 2,500 years, to Chinese observations.

Fast, bright meteors; a few leave glowing trains for a second or two.