How to spot the 2025 Lyrids and Eta Aquarids meteor showers
The Eta Aquarids meteor shower as visible in Sri Lanka in 2024
Thilina Kaluthotage/NurPhoto/ Getty Images
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The Lyrids and Eta Aquarids meteor showers will soon be appearing in the night skies. This year, they will start becoming visible within days of each other in April, with the bright Lyrids peaking on the night between 21 April and 22 April and the Eta Aquarids peaking between midnight and dawn on 5 May.
What is the Lyrids meteor shower?
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The Lyrids result from pieces of debris from the Thatcher comet interacting with Earth’s atmosphere and eventually disintegrating to become the bright streaks of light we see in the night sky. The meteor shower’s radiant – the spot in the night sky from which the meteors appear to radiate – is in the northern-hemisphere constellation Lyra, which contains the bright star Vega. People have been spotting the Lyrids for at least 2700 years. “The Lyrids are maybe the smallest of the major showers,” says Margaret Campbell-Brown at Western University in Canada. “The rates are not as high as most other meteor showers, but they do sometimes have a lot of bright meteors.”
When is the Lyrids meteor shower?
This year, the Lyrids are active from 17 April to 26 April. Their peak activity occurs on the night of 21 April and is most visible just before dawn on 22 April.
How can you boost your chances of seeing the Lyrids?
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The Lyrids can be best seen from Earth’s northern hemisphere in the dark hours just before dawn. The meteors will typically appear as fast streaks of light and may occasionally create a bright flash. You can expect to see around five or six meteors every hour on a typical night and as many as 10 to 20 meteors during the peak. The constellation Lyra is below the horizon for most viewers in the southern hemisphere, but the Lyrids may still be seen in more limited numbers. “There will be a bit of a moon this year, but if there are lots of bright meteors that doesn’t matter as much,” says Campbell-Brown.
What is the Eta Aquarids meteor shower?
The Eta Aquarids meteors are icy and rocky debris originally shed by Halley’s comet that eventually reach Earth’s atmosphere and disintegrate in a fiery nighttime display. The shower’s radiant is near Eta Aquarii, which is one of the brightest stars in the constellation Aquarius. “They’re a very interesting shower, producing strong outbursts some years,” says Campbell-Brown. But this year will probably have more moderate activity, she says.
This year, the Eta Aquarids can be seen between 20 April and 28 May. The best viewing time will be during their peak period between midnight and dawn on 5 May.
How can you boost your chances of seeing the Eta Aquarids?
The southern hemisphere provides the best viewing opportunity for the Eta Aquarids. It is also visible in the northern hemisphere but much lower in the night sky, so sky watchers there will have to look towards the horizon to see the meteors. “The shower radiant only rises a couple of hours before dawn in the northern hemisphere, and it’s well light by the time it’s high in the sky, so observers only have a small window for seeing the meteors,” says Campbell-Brown. The Eta Aquarids can also sometimes leave glowing dust trains in their wake that appear visible for several seconds or even minutes, she says. You can expect to see about 10 to 30 meteors per hour from the northern hemisphere, and about 30 meteors per hour from the southern hemisphere.
Meteor-spotting tips from an astronomer
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Your best bet is to get out of the city to find a place with the darkest skies possible, says Campbell-Brown. She recommends bringing a star map to help locate the constellations where each of the meteor showers will originate, as well as a reclining lawn chair or camping mattress. Dressing warmly is also a good idea since you won’t be moving around much.
“Where in the sky you look is not important; the rates might be a little higher if you look toward the radiant – which for both of these showers will be rising in the East – but anywhere the sky is dark and clear is fine,” she says.
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Keep in mind that some of the meteors you see won’t necessarily be from these specific meteor showers. But for both meteor showers, the best viewing opportunities will come well after sunset in the several hours before dawn, says Campbell-Brown.
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