Overview
- Skywatchers saw the Lyrids at their strongest Tuesday night into early Wednesday, with the best views before dawn as the radiant climbed high in the sky.
- Under optimal dark skies, observers typically counted about 15 to 20 meteors an hour, while experts stressed that brief bursts near 100 an hour are rare and not predictable.
- The streaks seem to fan out from the constellation Lyra near the bright star Vega, yet meteors can appear anywhere, so viewers used only their eyes, avoided phone screens, and allowed 20–30 minutes for night vision.
- Earth is plowing through debris shed by Comet C/1861 G1 (Thatcher), whose dust grains hit the atmosphere at roughly 30 miles per second and vaporize to create quick, bright trails.
- The shower remains active for several nights through about April 25, and attention now shifts to the Eta Aquariids in early May, with the Lyrids noted as one of the oldest recorded showers dating back to 687 BCE.