Lyrids Meteor Shower: peak viewing this week

The Lyrid meteor shower is peaking over South Florida this week, with the best chance to spot meteors in the hours before dawn on Tuesday, April 22. (amsmeteors.org) The American Meteor Society lists the Lyrids as active from April 14 through April 30, with the 2026 peak on the night of April 21-22. It calls the Lyrids a medium-strength shower that often produces its best rates across three nights around maximum. (amsmeteors.org) A meteor shower happens when Earth moves through a stream of debris left by a comet, and those particles burn up high in the atmosphere as bright streaks. NASA says the Lyrids are tied to Comet Thatcher and have been observed for about 2,700 years. (science.nasa.gov) NASA’s April skywatching guide says viewers should look east starting around 10 p.m. on April 21 and keep watching through the night into April 22. The shower’s radiant — the point the meteors appear to come from — sits near Vega in the constellation Lyra. (jpl.nasa.gov) For 2026, moonlight is less of a problem than in some years. The American Meteor Society says the moon is 27% full at peak, and EarthSky says the waxing crescent sets after midnight, leaving darker skies before dawn on April 22. (amsmeteors.org) (earthsky.org) EarthSky says the Lyrids’ predicted peak falls at 19:15 Coordinated Universal Time on April 22, which is late morning in the Americas, so North American watchers usually do better in the pre-dawn hours instead of trying to catch the exact peak minute. It also says the shower’s radiant climbs higher toward dawn, which improves the odds of seeing more meteors. (earthsky.org) Weather can still decide the show in Pompano Beach. A recent hourly forecast page from Weather.com for Pompano Beach showed overnight cloud cover and rain chances can vary by the hour, which is why local skywatchers need to check conditions close to viewing time. (weather.com) The simplest setup is still the best one: no telescope, a dark spot away from streetlights, and a wide view of the sky. If South Florida clouds break before dawn, the Lyrids can still put a few bright streaks over the Atlantic side before the shower fades later this month. (earthsky.org) (amsmeteors.org)