Lyrids
An April shower of moderate activity, recorded for over two thousand years. The radiant climbs high, but spring astronomical night is already short and it is the night, not the radiant, that limits the window.
Meteors enter the atmosphere at 49 km/s, which makes them moderately fast. The parent body is C/1861 G1 (Thatcher).
Catalogue figures
- Active period
- 14 April - 30 April
- Nominal peak
- 22 April
- Radiant
- RA 18.1 h, dec 34°
- Entry velocity
- 49 km/s
- Parent body
- C/1861 G1 (Thatcher)
- Catalogue ZHR
- 18
ZHR is a catalogue reference value: the number of meteors an observer would see under a perfectly dark sky with the radiant overhead. It is not a forecast for any given year, nor a number you will count - real activity varies from year to year, and every obstacle (the Moon, a low radiant, light pollution) cuts it several times over.
Observing conditions 2026-2031
Computed for Warszawa as the reference point. "Radiant above 20°" counts the hours when astronomical night (Sun more than 18° below the horizon) and a high enough radiant overlap. The last column subtracts the time the Moon is above the horizon.
Select a peak date to open that night on the event map in the app.
The table scrolls sideways - it has seven columns.
| Peak | Moon | Radiant highest | Astronomical night | Radiant above 20° | Moon-free | Conditions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 April 2026 | 27% | 63° · 02:50 | 4.8 h | 4.8 h | 1.2 h | Moon interferes |
| 22 April 2027 | 99% | 62.9° · 02:50 | 4.8 h | 4.8 h | 0 h | Moon interferes |
| 22 April 2028 | 8% | 63.3° · 02:50 | 4.7 h | 4.7 h | 4.7 h | good |
| 22 April 2029 | 52% | 63.1° · 02:50 | 4.7 h | 4.7 h | 0.5 h | Moon interferes |
| 22 April 2030 | 80% | 63° · 02:50 | 4.8 h | 4.8 h | 2.3 h | partly good |
| 22 April 2031 | 0% | 62.9° · 02:50 | 4.8 h | 4.8 h | 4.8 h | good |
Plan the night
Check in Lunar Frame how high the radiant sits at a given hour from your own spot, and when the Moon rises and sets that night.
Open Lunar Frame →Where these numbers come from
Active period, nominal peak, radiant, velocity and ZHR come from the Lunar Frame shower catalogue. Moon illumination, the length of astronomical night and radiant altitude are computed with astronomy-engine for Warszawa; across Poland these differ by fractions of a degree, so one reference point describes the whole country.