The Lyrid Meteor Shower Is Back — Here's What You Should Know

Comet Thatcher hasn’t passed through our section of the solar system since the American Civil War, and experts believe it won’t return until the year 2276. Yet every April, some of its leftover debris creates a breathtaking light show for millions of stargazers: the Lyrid Meteor Shower.

The intensity of the meteor shower fluctuates from year to year, with some April events being far more impressive than others. If conditions are right — and you know where to look — you can typically spot about 10 to 15 meteors per hour at the peak of the Lyrid shower. However, every few decades, the meteors come in much greater numbers, creating a springtime 'meteor storm.' The display usually lasts from April 15 to April 29, and this year is no different. Stargazers can observe the Lyrids for around 10 days, with the peak expected to fall on Saturday, April 22. With no moon on that night, the conditions for viewing should be ideal.

A Rare Visitor

Meteor showers typically occur along the paths of comets. Comets are icy, dusty, rocky objects filled with frozen gases, and they orbit our sun as well as other stars in the cosmos. To date, astronomers have cataloged more than 3,700 comets. The Lyrid meteor showers are the result of the debris from a specific comet known as "C/1861 G1 (Thatcher)." While that’s quite a mouthful, you can simply refer to it as Comet Thatcher.

Amateur astronomer A.E. Thatcher is credited with discovering the comet. On April 5, 1861, from his New York City home, he observed a bright, unfamiliar object in the Draco constellation. Over a month later, the comet passed relatively close to Earth, coming within 31.1 million miles (50.1 million kilometers). Afterward, it continued its journey toward the sun and then out of the inner solar system, an area that includes Mercury to Mars and the asteroid belt.

You won’t be able to see Comet Thatcher up close. While it orbits the sun, its orbit is such that it takes Comet Thatcher around 415.5 Earth years to complete a single orbit around our star.

Due to its orbital path, Comet Thatcher spends the majority of its time far beyond the inner solar system. A.E. Thatcher was fortunate to observe his comet during one of its rare passes through the inner solar system. Astronomers predict that it will return around 2276, marking the end of its lengthy absence from our solar neighborhood.

Intersecting Orbits

Although Comet Thatcher rarely passes near us, Earth crosses its orbital path every year, causing our atmosphere to encounter debris left behind by the comet as it travels.

As a comet approaches the sun, the heat causes some of its ice to melt, releasing small pieces of dust and rock. This is why comets leave debris trails behind them, with these fragments following the same orbit as the comet that produced them. Eventually, the comet may disintegrate entirely, but a stream of dust remains in its orbit, continuing to fill the path it once took around the sun.

This is the reason Earth experiences annual meteor showers. As it journeys around the sun, our planet regularly intersects the debris-filled orbits of various comets, including A.E. Thatcher's.

Once this debris enters Earth's atmosphere, it begins to burn up. Don’t worry; most of the particles won’t reach the ground. Those that do are called meteorites, though they are much rarer than meteoroids, which disintegrate completely in the atmosphere. Both meteorites and meteoroids create flashes of light we know as meteors.

Each April, Earth passes through Comet Thatcher's orbit, offering stargazers a spectacular meteor shower as the planet crosses the debris trail left behind.

Legends and Lyres

If you're observing from the ground, the meteors from any given shower will seem to radiate from a common point in the sky. (Though in reality, they don’t, it’s merely an optical illusion.)

This phenomenon is known as the radiant of the shower. Most annual meteor showers take their names from the constellations close to their radiant points. For instance, the meteors in the Perseid Shower, which captivates us each August, appear to emerge from the constellation Perseus.

Similarly, the April shower created by Comet Thatcher is called the Lyrid Shower due to its radiant's location next to Lyra, the constellation symbolizing the lyre played by the Greek hero Orpheus. The bright star Vega, which is part of this constellation, forms the crossbar of the lyre.

While knowing the radiant's location can improve your meteor-watching experience, experienced stargazers advise against staring directly at the constellation. Meteors can appear anywhere in the sky, and the longest trails tend to be further away from the radiant.

An Illuminated History

The number of meteors seen during the Lyrid shower fluctuates each year. At the peak, you can typically observe 10 to 15 meteors every hour. In comparison, the Perseid showers are far denser in meteor activity.

Occasionally, an extraordinary Lyrid shower takes place. For example, during the peak of the 1982 Lyrids, observers in the Eastern United States reported seeing about 100 meteors per hour. Since comets release their dust particles unevenly, the intensity of each year's shower may vary.

To estimate the strength of an upcoming shower, astronomers use computer models that factor in comet paths and atmospheric conditions. This year, you can assist scientists by contributing Lyrid data. Simply sign up with the International Meteor Organization and share your sightings after enjoying the Lyrid show.

For the best Lyrid viewing, head to the Northern Hemisphere during the darkest hours and away from city lights. NASA advises that you lie on your back with your feet facing east. Allow your eyes to adjust to the darkness, and within 30 minutes, you should begin to spot meteors. Be patient, as the shower will continue until early dawn, giving you plenty of time to witness the "shooting stars."