Will I see the Lyrids 2027?
The oldest recorded shower, seen by Chinese observers in 687 BC. Modest rates, but now and then a surprise outburst.
Quiet shower
Up to about 5 meteors an hour from a dark place near London around 22:54, with a full moon (96% lit) up at the best hour. In a city, about 1.
From your city, 22–23 Apr
Meteors an hour at the best moment of the peak night (local time), from a dark place nearby and from the city itself, and how often the sky was clear on that night (2014–2025).
UK & Ireland
| City | Best time | Dark sky | In the city | Clear sky |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | 22:54 | 5/h | 1/h | 68% |
| Manchester | 23:09 | 5/h | 1/h | 50% |
| Birmingham | 22:54 | 5/h | 1/h | 56% |
| Bristol | 22:54 | 5/h | 1/h | 57% |
| Cardiff | 22:54 | 4/h | 1/h | 55% |
| Newcastle | 23:24 | 5/h | 1/h | 51% |
| Glasgow | 23:39 | 5/h | 1/h | 67% |
| Edinburgh | 23:24 | 5/h | 1/h | 61% |
| Belfast | 23:39 | 5/h | 1/h | 47% |
| Dublin | 23:24 | 5/h | 1/h | 46% |
Europe
| City | Best time | Dark sky | In the city | Clear sky |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paris | 23:24 | 4/h | 1/h | 47% |
| Amsterdam | 23:24 | 5/h | 1/h | 36% |
| Brussels | 23:24 | 5/h | 1/h | 51% |
| Berlin | 22:54 | 5/h | 1/h | 57% |
| Munich | 22:39 | 4/h | 1/h | 55% |
| Zurich | 22:54 | 4/h | 1/h | 61% |
| Vienna | 22:24 | 4/h | 1/h | 44% |
| Copenhagen | 23:24 | 6/h | 1/h | 71% |
| Stockholm | 23:39 | 7/h | 2/h | 37% |
| Oslo | 00:09 | 6/h | 2/h | 61% |
| Helsinki | 00:09 | 7/h | 2/h | 34% |
| Reykjavík | 01:54 | 6/h | 1/h | 22% |
| Madrid | 06:09 | 3/h | 1/h | 35% |
| Barcelona | 05:54 | 3/h | 1/h | 48% |
| Lisbon | 05:39 | 3/h | 1/h | 38% |
| Rome | 05:09 | 3/h | 1/h | 73% |
| Athens | 05:24 | 3/h | 1/h | – |
North America
| City | Best time | Dark sky | In the city | Clear sky |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 04:54 | 4/h | 1/h | 56% |
| Boston | 04:39 | 4/h | 1/h | 65% |
| Washington DC | 05:09 | 4/h | 1/h | 69% |
| Atlanta | 05:54 | 4/h | 1/h | 65% |
| Miami | 05:54 | 4/h | 1/h | 59% |
| Chicago | 04:54 | 5/h | 1/h | 63% |
| Dallas | 05:39 | 4/h | 1/h | 65% |
| Denver | 05:09 | 5/h | 1/h | 57% |
| Phoenix | 04:39 | 5/h | 1/h | 86% |
| Los Angeles | 05:09 | 5/h | 1/h | 76% |
| San Francisco | 05:24 | 6/h | 1/h | 69% |
| Seattle | 04:39 | 6/h | 1/h | 63% |
| Toronto | 05:09 | 4/h | 1/h | 63% |
| Montreal | 04:39 | 4/h | 1/h | 64% |
| Vancouver | 04:39 | 6/h | 1/h | 61% |
| Calgary | 04:54 | 5/h | 1/h | 57% |
Australia, New Zealand & South Africa
| City | Best time | Dark sky | In the city | Clear sky |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney | 04:09 | 1/h | 1/h | 57% |
| Melbourne | 04:24 | 1/h | 1/h | 58% |
| Brisbane | 04:24 | 2/h | 1/h | 58% |
| Perth | 04:39 | 1/h | 1/h | 63% |
| Auckland | 04:39 | 1/h | 1/h | – |
| Christchurch | 04:39 | 1/h | 0/h | – |
| Cape Town | 04:54 | 1/h | 0/h | 48% |
The coming years
The moon decides most years. From a dark place near London at the best time:
| Year | Peak night (UK) | Moon | Meteors/h |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2027 | 22–23 Apr | 96% | 5 |
| 2028 | 21–22 Apr | 8% | 12 |
| 2029 | 21–22 Apr | 55% | 16 |
| 2030 | 21–22 Apr | 77% | 5 |
Lyrids in numbers
- Active
- Apr 14 – Apr 30
- Radiant
- Lyra (RA 271°, Dec +34°)
- Speed
- 49 km/s
- Parent
- comet Thatcher (C/1861 G1)
- Best from
- the northern hemisphere
Other showers coming up
Northern Taurids
Quiet showerUp to 5 an hour in perfect skiesLeonids
Worth a lookUp to 15 an hour in perfect skiesGeminids
Great yearUp to 150 an hour in perfect skiesUrsids
Quiet showerUp to 10 an hour in perfect skiesLyrids: questions
It peaks at 16:24 UTC on 22 April 2027, so the best night is 22–23 April 2027 in the UK. It is active from Apr 14 – Apr 30.
In perfect skies up to 18 an hour (the ZHR). From a dark place near London, about 5 an hour at the best time; near New York 4; near Sydney 1. From a town, about a fifth of that.
Around 22:54 in the UK on the peak night, when the radiant in Lyra is 25° high. Check your own city above.
Dust from comet Thatcher (C/1861 G1). The Earth crosses its trail every year; the bits burn up at 49 km/s about 100 km up. They seem to come from Lyra, which gives the shower its name.
From airport weather records 2014–2025, the sky on the Lyrids peak nights was on average 68% clear in London, 56% in New York and 57% in Sydney. Every city is in the table above.