Lyrid meteor shower 2025: Where and when to view
Sky watchers will be treated to something special as the Lyrids meteor shower reaches its peak.
The Lyrids are expected to peak April 21 and April 22, according to NASA. On those nights, the moon will be at 40% brightness, which may interfere with viewing, according to the American Meteor Society. It may be best to view the meteor shower on the evening of April 21 – just before the waning crescent moon rises.
In the best conditions, the Lyrids average 10 to 15 meteors an hour, but it can bombard the sky with up to 100, according to NASA.
Where to view in the night sky
Unable to view our graphics? Click here to see them.
The American Meteor Society describes the Lyrids as a "medium-strength shower." Though the Lyrids bring fast and bright meteors, they're not as plentiful as showers like the Perseids in August, according to NASA.
"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," NASA says.
Parent comet of Lyrid meteor shower
Lyrids are pieces of debris from Comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher. In mid-April each year, the Earth runs into the stream of debris from the comet, which causes the meteor shower.
First sightings of the Lyrids
The first recorded sighting of a Lyrid meteor shower goes back to 687 B.C. in China. Observers there said the Lyrids were "falling like rain."
Earthsky said that in 1982, American observers saw an outburst of nearly 100 Lyrid meteors an hour. Japanese observers saw about 100 meteors an hour in 1945, and Greek observers saw that number in 1922.
What are meteors made of?
Meteors are space rocks that are as small as a grain of sand or small rock. As they enter Earth's atmosphere, they create a tail of debris as they disintegrate. Meteorites that have made their way to the Earth's surface are small pieces of an asteroid. Some have been traced back to Mars and the moon.
CONTRIBUTING Doyle Rice and Jim Sergent
SOURCE NASA, Sky & Telescope, EarthSky, Space.com and Timeandate.com
This story was updated to add new information.
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