Lyrid meteor shower 2026: Ideal conditions forecast for peak of display

The Lyrid meteor shower was first recorded by Chinese astronomers almost 3000 years ago.

They take their name from the constellation Lyra, where the meteors appear each year between April 16 and 25, but usually peak around April 22.

Lyrids’ distinguishing features are their color and brightness; There are also extraordinarily bright fireballs that occasionally outshine the planet Venus.

The colors are created when tiny dust particles, no larger than a grain of sand, interact with particles and ions in Earth’s atmosphere.

As the particles heat up and ionize, they produce the light we can see through the trail that forms as the meteor cools and fades.

Fireballs form when larger pieces of debris, the size of grapes or acorns, pass through the atmosphere. Because they become much larger when heated, they create a glow and a line behind them, often called a train.

While the Lyrid meteor shower can be seen every year, Comet Thatcher takes 415 years to complete its orbit around the Sun and won’t be visible again until 2283.