The Lyrid meteor shower will peak later this month: Here's all you need to know

The Lyrid meteor shower is now active and will peak on the night of April 21, 2026, continuing into the early morning of April 22, 2026. During the peak, the Moon will be 27% illuminated, and observers can expect around five to six meteors per hour under dark skies. The maximum activity is predicted to occur near 20:00 UTC (15:00 EST). The shower is best visible from the Northern Hemisphere owing to the high radiant in the sky at dawn. The shower is visible in the Southern Hemisphere as well, but at a lower rate. 

The Lyrid shower is produced by debris from Comet Thatcher (C/1861 G1), according to NASA. The Lyrids have been observed for 2,700 years, with their first recorded sighting dating back to 687 BC, when the Chinese spotted it. Though not as fast or as plentiful as the famous Perseids in August, Lyrids can surprise watchers with as many as 100 meteors seen per hour. This year, the meteor velocity will be hovering around 29 miles (47 kilometers) per second. 

Lyrids don’t tend to leave long, glowing dust trains behind them as they streak through the Earth's atmosphere, but they can produce the occasional bright flash called a fireball. So observers can keep an eye out for such highlights as the Moon won't be too bright at the time of the shower's peak.

The Lyrids’ long history, as shared by NASA, includes several notable outbursts, with particularly intense displays recorded in places like Virginia (1803), Greece (1922), Japan (1945), and the United States (1982). These rare events have helped cement the Lyrids’ reputation as a shower capable of surprising even seasoned observers. The next major meteor shower scheduled for 2026, following the Lyrids, is the Eta Aquariids (peaking on May 5, 2026, to May 6, 2026). 

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