Stargaze › Meteor Showers › Lyrids
Peak: 22 April 2026, around 22:00 UTC
Active: 14 April 2026 – 30 April 2026
Rate at peak: up to 18 meteors/hour (ZHR)
Speed: 49 km/s ·
Parent body: Comet C/1861 G1 (Thatcher) ·
Radiant: Lyra
Humans have watched the Lyrids streak across the sky for over 2,700 years, making this one of the oldest documented astronomical events on record. Rates are modest at 15 to 20 per hour normally, but occasional surprise outbursts have pushed counts past 100. You never quite know what you'll get.
Look toward Vega in Lyra, which rises northeast around 10 PM. The best viewing window is between midnight and dawn. If you're out in an outburst year, rates can jump to 100 or more with no warning - always worth setting up a lawn chair.
Visible from both hemispheres but much better heading north. Individual meteors are bright and leave glowing trails, which partly makes up for the modest numbers.
Big outbursts hit in 1803 (700 ZHR over the eastern US, described as fire falling from the sky), then again in 1922, 1945, and 1982. They tend to cluster roughly every 60 years, which means the next one is overdue.
The Lyrids peak on 22 April 2026 at around 22:00 UTC. The shower is active from 14 April 2026 to 30 April 2026.
Under dark skies at peak you can expect up to 18 meteors per hour (ZHR). Light pollution and moonlight reduce that figure.
The radiant lies in the constellation Lyra, but meteors appear across the whole sky. Look toward Vega in Lyra, which rises northeast around 10 PM. The best viewing window is between midnight and dawn. If you're out in an outburst year, rates can jump to 100 or more with no warning - always worth setting up a lawn chair.