Summary
- The Lyrid meteor shower, which this year peaks on the night of April 22-23 and is best viewed in the Northern Hemisphere, is caused by debris from the C/1861 G1 comet.
- The moon being in its waning phases and largely below the horizon gives us the best chance of dark skies.
- Use a sturdy tripod and nighttime photography apps to capture stunning meteor shots away from city lights—but patience is key!
While January to March offers some of the darkest skies for stargazing in the Northern Hemisphere, it’s when meteor showers are at their quietest. That’s why the Lyrid meteor shower is always an exciting event each year. Let’s look at what it is, how you can see it, and how to capture it on camera.
What and Where Is the Lyrid Meteor Shower?
The Lyrid meteor shower is caused by small pieces of debris falling from and trailing behind the C/1861 G1 (Thatcher) comet, which was discovered by amateur astronomer A. E. Thatcher in 1861. As the Earth passes through Thatcher’s solar orbit, the trailing debris collides with our atmosphere to create a stunning meteor display. It’s called the Lyrid meteor shower because the shoots of light appear to originate near the Lyra constellation, but in fact, the shower has nothing to do with Lyra other than this apparent positional coherence.
Our planet passes through Thatcher’s trail once a year in April. More specifically, this year, it lasts from around April 16 to April 25, peaking on the night of April 22-23. The Lyra constellation is best viewable in Northern-Hemisphere skies, and the Lyrid meteor shower’s radiant point is far north on the sky’s dome. While you might see some meteors if you’re in Cape Town or Canberra, you’re more likely to appreciate its spectacle in Montreal, Memphis, and Manchester.
How to Watch the Lyrid Meteor Shower
To find the Lyra constellation, look for its brightest star, Vega, which is also the fifth-brightest star in the night sky. You’ll see the Lyra constellation under the right-hand wing of the much larger Cygnus constellation.
There are many stargazing apps you can use to help you locate phenomena in the sky. SkySafari is useful because you can type the name of the constellation or star you’re searching for, and it’ll help you center the object. However, don’t worry about focusing your gaze solely on Lyra for the Lyrid meteor shower—you’ll see the shooting trails of light all over the night sky. Also, any meteors you see lower in the sky might be from the Eta Aquariid meteor shower, which runs concurrently with the Lyrid meteor shower.
The beauty of meteor showers is that you don’t need any special equipment to see them. What you do need, however, is patience.
The best time to see the Lyrid meteor shower is in the early hours of the peak morning, so after midnight on April 22. You’ll have much more of a chance of seeing the display if you have a dark sky away from city lights (use a light pollution map to help you with this) and a wide field of view.
Once you’ve located a safe spot, grab a mug of something hot, set a blanket on the ground, and simply look upwards. Be warned: blink, and you might miss one. You might even have to wait an hour before witnessing this astronomical spectacle—meteor showers are frustratingly unpredictable—but if you’re patient (and lucky), you can expect to see between 10 and 25 an hour in the right conditions. Your eyes will need to take time to adjust to the darkness anyway, so waiting around for a while won’t do any harm.
Will the Moon and Clouds Get in My Way?
The biggest final obstacles to shooting star success are things you can’t control.
The good news, however, is that the moon will be waning towards the end of the month. More specifically, after the full moon on April 13, not only will the proportion of the moon reflecting the Sun’s light reduce as the month progresses, but it will remain below the horizon until the early hours of the morning as the Lyrid meteor shower reaches its peak. As a result, unless you’re an early morning stargazer, you can expect to avoid any unwanted lunar light obscuring your view of the faintest meteors.
The other natural obstruction is clouds—the biggest thorn in any stargazer’s side. Even if you try to plan ahead using the local weather forecast, things can change in an instant. So, don’t be disappointed if you have to constantly change your plans! But remember, all things being well, you’ll catch some shooting stars at some point between April 16 and April 25 if you find the right conditions.
How to Photograph the Lyrid Meteor Shower
Just witnessing the Lyrid meteor shower should be enough to wow you, but photographing a streak of dust burning up in our atmosphere can add an extra bit of joy to this addictive hobby. The first thing you’ll need is a sturdy tripod. For the best chance to catch a shooting star, you’ll need to set your phone’s camera to a long exposure and keep it very still. Some phones also have an astrophotography mode designed to help you take perfect photos of the night sky.
Going back to the earlier point about dark skies, the same applies to astrophotography. If you’re near any artificial lights, they will flood your camera lens and severely disrupt your shot.
NightCap is a great app for capturing moving objects in the sky if you use an iPhone. Along with options for capturing the International Space Station and star trails, there’s a Meteor Mode, which automatically detects any sudden, bright movements of light in the sky and saves them in your gallery.
While similar apps are also available for Android phones, increasing the exposure time in your camera’s night mode (and, if possible, setting a five-second shutter timer or using a shutter-release cable so you don’t accidentally wobble your shot) will almost certainly do the trick if you shoot enough pics.
You should also turn down the brightness on your phone’s screen. Otherwise, your eyes will take time to adjust when you look back up at the sky. Above all, whether you’re out to watch or photograph the Lyrid meteor shower, check the weather forecast, set aside plenty of time, keep warm, experiment, and enjoy!
