Lyrid Meteor Shower 2021: When, Where & How To See It

Have you heard about Lyrid Meteor Shower? If you keep missing this special event the previous years, prepare for the 2021 one. One of the oldest known meteor showers will light up the night sky next week.

Lyrid Meteor Shower 2021: When

The annual Lyrid meteor shower is active each year from about April 16 to 25. In 2021, we expect the shower to pick up steam beginning late at night Monday, April 19, 2020, probably peaking in the predawn hours on Thursday, April 22.

The follow morning (April 23) might be good too, if you’re game. This shower comes after a months-long meteor drought that always falls between early January and April’s Lyrid shower each year.

There are no major meteor showers during those months, as you can see by looking at EarthSky’s meteor shower guide. By April, many meteor-watchers are itching to get going! So – though they produce only 10 to 15 meteors per hour at their peak – the Lyrids are always welcome!

Lyrid Meteor Shower 2021: Where

Photo: POPSUGAR

No matter where you are on Earth, the best time to watch is between midnight and dawn. Or this year, in 2021, the best viewing might come between moonset and dawn. Find out the moon’s setting time in your sky via TimeandDate. Moon or no moon, you’ll want to watch in a dark country sky. Keep reading to find some tips for watching the 2021 Lyrids, Earthsky noted.

Lyrid Meteor Shower 2021: How to see it?

This year, with a moon that will be more than two-thirds full at the peak of the Lyrids, it's probably best to try and see the show before dawn and after the moon has set at your location.

But this doesn't mean viewing in the evening will necessarily be fruitless. The hours after dusk can offer a good chance to capture a bright "Earth grazer" along the horizon.

Whenever you go out to look for Lyrids, get as far away from light pollution as possible and find a spot like an open field or hilltop with a broad, unobstructed view of the night sky. Lie down, let your eyes adjust, relax and just watch.

It's not necessary to look at a particular part of the sky, but the Lyrids will appear to emanate outward from their namesake constellation Lyra, traveling away from that part of the sky like spokes on a wheel. So if you can find Lyra and orient yourself towards it, that's great but absolutely not required, according to Cnet.

Stay warm, stay safe and enjoy the space show! If you amateur astrophotographers happen to catch any great Lyrid fireballs, please share them with us!

Photo: Photopills

*Note*: Lyrids through out the history

The Lyrid meteor shower returns each year from about April 16 to 25, as particles shed from Comet 1861 G1 Thatcher. There are no photos of the comet because it last passed through the inner solar system in 1861 — and with an orbit of 415 years, it won't be back until 2276. Records of the Lyrids date back approximately 2,700 years, making it one of the oldest known meteor showers. According to NASA, the first Lyrid meteor shower was recorded in China in 687 BC.

Lyrid meteors appear to radiate from the constellation Lyra the Harp, near the bright star Vega, giving the shower its name. The Lyrids have been known to have outbursts of 100 meteors per hour, with heavier showers occurring in Greece in 1922, Japan in 1945 and the U.S. 1982. An outburst is not predicted for 2021 — but that doesn't mean it's impossible, Cbsnews cited.

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