Lyrid meteor shower 2026: When and how to watch it

The Milky Way and meteors of the Lyrid meteor shower in the night sky over Germany A meteor shower which was first recorded almost 3,000 years ago is now lighting up the UK skies. The Lyrid meteor shower, associated with the ancient Comet Thatcher, is on its annual path over the UK and should peak on 22 April. It's the result of the Earth passing through dust left behind by the comet and was first documented by Chinese astronomers in 687 BCE. You can expect 10 to 15 meteors an hour but with surges that can occasionally deliver up to 100 per hour. A Lyrid meteor is seen in the sky above Liverpool, UK, in April 2025. Named after the constellation of Lyra from where the meteors appear to originate, the distinctive features of the Lyrids are their colours and brightness - along with exceptionally bright fireballs from time to time, outshining the planet Venus. The colours are created by very small dust particles - no bigger than a grain of sand - interacting with the particles and ions in Earth's atmosphere. The light this interaction creates is what we can see as the grains heat up and ionise. The trail is produced as the meteor cools and fades. Fireballs are made when larger pieces o