Find out how to spot a Lyrid in the first of 2023’s best meteor showers.

By Iain Todd

Published: Friday, 21 April 2023 at 12:00 am

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The Lyrid meteor shower peaks this weekend, on the night of Saturday 22 April and into the early hours of Sunday 23 April.

This makes for a great opportunity for a spot of naked-eye stargazing late on Saturday night, and indeed across the weekend.

The annual meteor showers are a highlight of the stargazer’s calendar, as meteor showers are best seen without using binoculars or a telescope, and are great for observing in groups.

Read Pete Lawrence’s guide to the Lyrid meteor shower for a full guide on what’s happening and how to see it.

Find out when the next meteor shower is happening and read our guide to what causes a meteor shower.

How to see the Lyrid meteor shower

When observing a meteor shower, you really need to know three things:

Where the meteor shower’s radiant is

The radiant is the point from which the shower meteors appear to emanate in the sky. In the case of the Perseid meteor shower, it’s the constellation Perseus. In the case of the Geminid meteor shower, it’s the constellation Gemini.

In the case of the Lyrid meteor shower, it’s the constellation Lyra. Use the chart above to help you find the Lyrid radiant.

When peak activity is occurring

All meteor showers have a period of peak activity, and while these are the periods during which a meteor shower will be best seen (Moon- and weather-depending), observing a few days either side is fine.

What the Moon will be doing during peak activity

Observing during peak activity is all very well, but if the Moon is full and bright it will wash out all but the very brightest of meteors. It might make more sense to observe the night before or the night after, or at a different time, when the Moon is obligingly out of the way.

2023’s Moon-free meteor showers

2023 is set to be a great year for meteor shower observing, because the Moon will be out of the way during peak activity for all of the major meteor showers.

You can find out more about this in our guide to 2023’s Moon-free meteor showers.

How to see a Lyrid meteor

To observe the Lyrid meteor shower:

• Find a place away from any stray lights
• Give yourself at 20 minutes in total darkness for your eyes to dark adapt
• Avoid looking at bright light sources such as a mobile phone
• Use a garden recliner or an astronomy chair that avoids you straining your neck to look upwards
• Stare up at an angle of about 60˚, two-thirds up the sky from horizon to zenith
• Look in any direction, but preferably the one in which the sky looks darkest.
• Aim to observe for periods of at least 30–60 minutes between short breaks.
• If you spot a meteor whose trail heads back towards the radiant point, you’ve seen a Lyrid!

 

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