🌠 Lyrids Meteor Shower 2026
A medium-strength shower that can occasionally produce bright fireballs. Favorable moon conditions in 2026.
Peak night: Wednesday, April 22, 2026 · Radiant: Lyra · Source: Comet C/1861 G1 (Thatcher)
Viewing Conditions for the Lyrids
Peak Night
April 22, 2026
Theoretical Rate
Up to 18/hour
Moon on Peak Night
Waxing Crescent (27% lit)
Moon Impact
Minimal interference
Where to Look
East, rising higher through the night — Lyra and its bright star Vega climb toward overhead by early morning.
Best Time
After midnight until dawn on April 22, when the radiant is highest in the sky.
Active Apr 15 through Apr 29, 2026, favoring the Northern Hemisphere. Moon on peak night: Waxing Crescent, 27% illuminated.
Viewing Tips
- →Favorable moon conditions in 2026 mean darker skies than many recent Lyrid years — a real advantage for spotting fainter meteors.
- →The Lyrids are known for occasional bright fireballs, so it's worth a look even outside the exact peak night.
- →As with any shower, meteors can appear anywhere in the sky, not just near the radiant — a wide, relaxed gaze works better than staring at one spot.
📷 Photography Tips
- →A tripod-mounted wide-angle shot toward the east, framed to include Vega, gives context for where the radiant sits.
- →Because the shower is moderate strength, plan for a longer shooting session (several hours) to improve your odds of capturing a bright meteor in frame.
- →ISO 1600-3200, aperture as wide as your lens allows, and 15-25 second exposures are a reasonable starting point on a moonless night.
Live sky conditions for your exact location, including cloud cover: Sky Tonight.
Gear That Helps (Optional)
Meteor showers are a naked-eye event — you don't need anything to watch the Lyrids. Binoculars can help you explore the sky between meteors, or get a closer look at the shower's radiant area.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Are the Lyrids worth watching if the shower is only 'medium-strength'?+
Yes — an 18/hour theoretical rate is modest compared to the Perseids or Geminids, but the Lyrids are known for occasional unusually bright fireballs, and 2026's favorable moon conditions mean darker skies than in many recent years.
What is the Lyrids' parent body?+
Comet C/1861 G1 (Thatcher), a long-period comet that won't return to the inner Solar System again until roughly the year 2276 — the debris stream it left behind is what Earth crosses every April.