Meteor shower 2027
Lyrid meteor shower 2027
Updated
Next Lyrid peak: night of Apr 22–23, 2027 (ZHR 18) Active Apr 14 – Apr 30; Moon 95% lit at peak (near full Moon, poor).
When the Lyrids peak in 2027, how many meteors to expect, how bright the Moon will be, and where to look, computed from the International Meteor Organization's shower parameters.
- Peak
- Apr 23, 2027 2027-04-23 01:42 UTC, solar longitude 32.32°
- ZHR at peak
- 18 meteors per hour, ideal sky, radiant overhead
- Moon at peak
- 95% lit Waning gibbous, near full Moon, poor
- Radiant
- RA 18h 04m, Dec +34° LYR
- Speed
- 49 km/s medium
- Best from
- Northern Hemisphere
- Parent body
- comet C/1861 G1 (Thatcher)
When the Lyrids peak in 2027
In 2027 the Lyrids peak at 2027-04-23 01:42 UTC, when the Sun reaches solar longitude 32.32° (J2000). That makes the night of Apr 22–23 the one to watch; the activity window opens April 14, 179 days from now.
The Moon will be 95% illuminated (waning gibbous) at the peak: near full Moon, poor. In 2028 the peak falls on Apr 22, 2028 with the Moon 6% lit, a better year.
From 45° N the radiant stands 23° high at 10 pm and 79° at 4 am local time, so the pre-dawn hours are best. With the radiant at 79°, a ZHR of 18 means roughly 18 meteors per hour under a perfectly dark sky; light pollution and moonlight cut that a lot. The radiant never rises south of about 56° S.
How high the radiant gets
Radiant altitude on the peak night at 10 pm and 4 am local time. The higher the radiant, the more meteors you see.
| Latitude | 10 pm | 4 am |
|---|---|---|
| 50° N (London, Calgary) | 25° | 74° |
| 35° N (Los Angeles, Tokyo) | 19° | 89° |
| Equator | below horizon | 56° |
| 35° S (Sydney, Buenos Aires) | below horizon | 21° |
How to watch the Lyrids
Get away from street lights, let your eyes adapt for 20–30 minutes, and look about 40–60° away from the radiant rather than straight at it; meteors appear all over the sky and their trails point back to the radiant (RA 18h 04m, Dec +34°). No telescope or binoculars needed.
Lyrid meteors enter the atmosphere at 49 km/s, a medium speed. The Lyrids are one of the oldest recorded showers, with Chinese observations from 687 BC. Rates are modest, but the shower has produced surprise outbursts of up to about 100 meteors per hour, most recently in 1982.
Lyrids peak dates
| Year | Peak (UTC) | Best night | Moon |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2027 | 2027-04-23 01:42 UTC | Apr 22–23 | 95% lit |
| 2028 | 2028-04-22 07:50 UTC | Apr 21–22 | 6% lit |
| 2029 | 2029-04-22 13:58 UTC | Apr 22–23 | 58% lit |
Peak times come from the mean solar longitude of maximum; real peaks can shift by several hours, and unexpected outbursts happen.
Next meteor showers
More sky pages
Data: International Meteor Organization (working list), GodsView computed Moon and radiant positions.