Lyrid meteor shower 2027
The Lyrids return on 14 April and peak on the night of 22 to 23 April 2027. From New York the best time that night is about 04:25 EDT, with 6 to 7 meteors an hour from a dark site.
The peak night around the world
The best time to watch on the peak night in twelve cities, each worked out for that city's own sky, with the meteors an hour you can expect from a dark site and where the Moon is at that time. Times are local.
| Place | Peak night | Best time | Meteors an hourfrom a dark site | Moon then |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LondonUnited Kingdom | 22–23 Apr | 03:30 BST | 8 to 9 | 95% lit, up |
| New YorkUnited States | 22–23 Apr | 04:25 EDT | 6 to 7 | 94% lit, up |
| Los AngelesUnited States | 22–23 Apr | 04:40 PDT | 5 to 6 | 93% lit, up |
| TorontoCanada | 22–23 Apr | 04:35 EDT | 6 to 7 | 94% lit, up |
| SydneyAustralia | 23–24 Apr | 04:40 AEST | 2 to 3 | 91% lit, up |
| DelhiIndia | 22–23 Apr | 04:25 IST | about 6 | 95% lit, up |
| TokyoJapan | 22–23 Apr | 03:25 JST | 5 to 6 | 96% lit, up |
| BerlinGermany | 22–23 Apr | 03:30 CEST | 8 to 9 | 95% lit, up |
| RomeItaly | 22–23 Apr | 04:35 CEST | 6 to 7 | 95% lit, up |
| JohannesburgSouth Africa | 22–23 Apr | 04:30 SAST | 3 to 4 | 95% lit, up |
| São PauloBrazil | 22–23 Apr | 04:40 BRT | 3 to 4 | 94% lit, up |
| DubaiUnited Arab Emirates | 22–23 Apr | 04:25 GST | 6 to 7 | 95% lit, up |
Peak night in New York, hour by hour
Shower meteors an hour you can expect from a dark site through the peak night, after allowing for the radiant's height, twilight and the Moon. A suburb shows roughly a third to a half of that, a city centre roughly a tenth to a fifth.
Where to look
The Lyrid radiant lies in Lyra, a little south-west of the brilliant star Vega. From New York it rises at 20:36, and at the best time on the peak night, 04:25, it is 81° up in the south-east. Face that way and look about halfway up.
- Lyrids appear anywhere. Near the radiant they are short; far from it they leave long trails. Trace any of them back and it points to Vega, the brightest star in that part of the sky.
- Give your eyes 20 minutes to adapt to the dark, and keep your phone on the Meteor Tracker's red-light field mode.
- Lie back on a reclining chair rather than craning your neck. No telescope or binoculars needed.
- Watch for at least half an hour. Meteors come in bursts, with quiet spells in between.
About the Lyrids
Every April, Earth runs through the dust left behind by comet Thatcher. The grains hit the air at about 49 km/s, a middling speed for a shower, and the brightest Lyrids leave glowing trains that last a second or two. In most years the peak brings up to about 18 an hour under a perfect sky.
The radiant sits a little south-west of Vega, the brilliant blue-white star of Lyra. It rises in the north-east in the evening and climbs highest in the hours before dawn, which is when the most meteors fall. The radiant is well north of the celestial equator, so the Lyrids are best from the northern hemisphere, though they can be seen from much of the southern hemisphere too, with fewer meteors.
The Lyrids are the oldest recorded meteor shower: observers in China wrote of stars falling like rain in 687 BC. Comet Thatcher takes about 415 years to go round the Sun and last passed it in 1861. The shower is usually modest, but now and then Earth crosses a denser trail, and rates have briefly jumped to about 100 an hour, as in 1982.
Frequently Asked Questions
Plan around the Moon: tonight's moonrise and moonset times for your town are on Moonrise Tonight.