The Lyrid meteor shower is the first major meteor shower of the year – and it's set to treat us all to some fireballs tonight (if you're lucky).
With a nearly-full Moon at the meteor shower’s peak, conditions this year are sadly unfavourable. However, although the Perseid meteor shower (in mid-July to August) is the reigning champion at producing fireballs, the Lyrids also have tantalising potential for fireballs.
It’s one of the oldest-known meteor showers, with recorded observations dating back at least 2,700 years. Chinese astronomers were the first to report the Lyrids, when there was an outburst of activity in 687 BC. Systematic studies of the meteor shower didn’t begin until the 19th century, however, when further outbursts occurred in 1803 and 1833.
So how can you get the best chance at spotting a Lyrid? What causes this meteor shower? And which direction should you look?
If conditions this year are just too frustrating, why not check out our astrophotography guide, and learn how to take your best-ever picture of the Moon.
When can you see the Lyrid meteor shower in 2024?
The best time to see the Lyrid meteor shower is during its peak on Monday night (22-23 April 2024) in the UK and US. However, this is at the same time as an almost-full Moon (the full pink Moon is the night after, 23-24 April) – which is not only bright but above the horizon most of the night. The best time to see the Lyrids is the hours before dawn.
The shower began on 14 April 2024 and will continue until 30 April. It’s a recurring shower and occurs on roughly the same dates every year.
Where to look to spot a Lyrid
The radiant for the Lyrids – this is the point in the sky from which meteors appear to originate – is in the constellation Lyra the Lyre.
The radiant for the Lyrids will rise higher as the night goes on during the shower's peak. The higher the radiant, the more chance we have of seeing shooting stars, and the less chance they'll be lost below the horizon.
Look approximately two-thirds up the sky (around 60-degree altitude), and slightly away from the radiant. Meteor trails will look longer around 90 degrees from the radiant, making them easier to spot. Try to take in as much of the sky as you can in your line of vision.
Situated between the Summer Triangle and the constellation Hercules, Lyra is one of the smallest constellations. Thankfully, it’s also one of the most distinctive, as it forms an obvious parallelogram and contains Vega – a brilliant white star, and the fifth brightest in the night sky.
Star-hopping is a great way to help you locate Lyra:
- First, locate the Summer Triangle asterism: Lyra is a prominent constellation within the Summer Triangle. The Summer Triangle is formed by three bright stars: Vega (in Lyra), Altair (in Aquila the Eagle), and Deneb (in Cygnus the Swan). Look for these three stars, which should be visible in the eastern sky during the evening hours in April.
- Identify Vega: Vega is the brightest star in Lyra and serves as a key marker for locating the constellation. It's a bright, bluish-white star, making it easy to spot.
- Trace the Shape of Lyra: Once you've found Vega, look for the distinctive parallelogram shape that forms the main body of Lyra. Vega marks one of the corners of this shape. From there (and with a bit of imagination) you can see the rest of the constellation's outline. Lyra resembles a small harp or lyre.
And if all else fails, grab your phone and download an astronomy app to show you what's what (remember to use your phone's red-light filter).
How visible will the Lyrids be?
When the meteor shower peaks on 22-23 April, the Moon will be at around 99 per cent illumination. It will also be above the horizon for most of the night. The full Moon (the April Pink Moon) occurs the night after on 23-24 April, so conditions this year are challenging.
At 99 per cent illumination, the bright Moon will drown out all but the brightest meteors, planets, stars and constellations. It will also extend a glow over the entire sky (called a ‘moon glare’), which further hampers proceedings.
Then there’s the effect on our eye’s dark adaptation. We always recommend that you take 10-20 minutes to let your eyes get accustomed to the dark. Otherwise, it’s easy to become discouraged at not being able to see anything after emerging from a brightly lit room. The bright light from the almost-full Moon can slow down and interrupt our accumulated dark vision, making meteors even harder to spot.
That’s not to say this year’s Lyrids are peaking under totally impossible conditions. We’ll still have a shot at spotting some of the brighter meteors, including potential fireballs.
How many meteors will we actually be able to see?
With perfect conditions, a radiant that’s high overhead and dark skies, we can expect to see around 18 meteors per hour. The number of visible meteors varies year-on-year, with most years yielding between 10-20 meteors. However this year, thanks to that nuisance-of-a-moon, it will be significantly less.
"Due to the bright Full Moon occurring within a day of the peak of this meteor shower, only the brightest few meteors will be bright enough to outshine the glare of the Moon, and so we may only spot 3 or 4 meteors every hour this year," explains Dr Darren Baskill, an astrophysicist from the University of Sussex.
"The best meteor shower this year will be the Perseids in mid-August, once the Moon has set. Then, we could see a meteor every 5 minutes from towns and cities, and as many as one a minute from the darkest sites around the world!"
What causes the Lyrid meteor shower?
Meteor showers happen when Earth passes through a field of debris left behind by a comet or asteroid.
This debris orbits the Sun, in the same way that Earth also orbits the Sun. And when Earth’s orbit intersects with this debris field, the little bits of dust and particulates burn up in Earth’s atmosphere. This produces bright streaks of light that we see as meteors (shooting stars).
Most meteor-producing particles are around the size of a grain of sand, while larger fragments produce fireballs.
When we talk about a meteor shower 'peaking', that’s when we’re passing through the ‘core’ (the densest part) of the debris stream and more meteors are visible.
The Lyrids are known for their bright, fast-moving meteors. They also tend to leave persistent trails in the sky, which is useful when contending with an interfering Moon.
The parent body of the Lyrids is a comet, comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher. This is a long-period comet which orbits the Sun once every 415.5 years. It last reached perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) in 1861, so we still have a long time before it returns to our neighbourhood (around the year 2276).
Lyrid meteor shower: Viewing tips
If you’re determined to try your luck, then there are a few things you can do to maximise your chances:
- Minimise light pollution: Try to find a location away from bright lights. Keep any unavoidable lights out of your direct line of sight.
- Allow night vision to develop: Let your eyes adjust to the darkness as best you can despite the interfering Moon. Sit outside for around 20 minutes, and you’ll notice you start to pick up more details in your surroundings.
- Look away from the Moon: If you can, choose a spot where the Moon is obscured by foliage or buildings.
- Look for meteor trains: Meteor trains can linger in the sky for several seconds after the initial meteor, giving you a better chance to spot the elusive visitors.
- Use a red-light filter: If you need to look at your phone, books, or anything else, use a red-light filter. This will help you to avoid ruining your accumulated night vision.
- Keep an eye out for fireballs: Although rare, we may have a chance at spotting some fireballs during the Lyrid meteor shower. These are often seen over a wide area and witnessed by many people, or caught on video doorbell cameras.
About our expert
Dr Darren Baskill is an outreach officer and lecturer in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Sussex. He previously lectured at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, where he also initiated the annual Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition.
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2024-04-22 08:59:59Z
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