The Sundarban 
The Lyrid meteor bathe is famous for “fireballs.”
(Image credit score: zhengshun tang via Getty Images)
At some level of last April’s Lyrid meteor bathe, I left my camera outside and went to bed. I would status my tripod, broad-angle lens pointed skyward, exposures firing every 30 seconds. Or no longer it is my usual routine for meteor showers, particularly relatively minor displays esteem the Lyrids. Definite, or no longer it is the first display of “shooting stars” since January, however my camera may perchance be extra patient than I — and detect extra meteors than I may from my light-polluted location. Or no longer it is a calculated kind of laziness, and I would done merely satisfactory to really feel esteem I would taken part.
Hours later, fair sooner than dawn, I stepped outside to bring my camera in. The sky was tinted with a deep pre-dawn blue, the stars starting to fade. I switched off the camera — and then, of path, it happened. A unexpected, brilliant meteor tore across the sky — exactly what the Lyrids are known for. Mad, I went inner, straight to my laptop, slid the camera’s SD card in, and started flicking via its hundreds of identical images for a outdated fireball. Nothing — no longer a trace. The camera had been watching all evening, however captured zilch.
Meteor showers are about persistence, however they’re also about success. The camera affords you coverage — a way to stack the odds — and or no longer it is mild the handiest instrument there is for catching a fleeting streak of light. On the other hand, on occasion the sky keeps its handiest moments for these that happen to be taking a gaze up at exactly the fair time. Even a lazy stargazer esteem me.
What’s happening and when to gaze
The Lyrids peak overnight on Tuesday, April 21, via Wednesday, April 22 — officially. This year, the early hours of Wednesday will seemingly favor North American observers, whereas that day’s post-sunset hours are handiest for European skywatchers. That’s because the Lyrids are predicted to approach to a peak at around 20:00 UTC (4:00 p.m. EDT and 9:00 p.m. BST) on April 22. That peak falls in daylight in Europe and North America, which means the real alternatives approach sooner than dawn and after sunset on either aspect.
On the other hand, the exact timing will not be any longer that important for the Lyrids, since the rates — about 18 per hour beneath very finest skies — have a tendency to maintain up for a evening or so either aspect. So the committed meteor-hunter effectively will get two chances this year, with the early hours of Thursday, April 23, worth pondering as neatly. The candy state is the early hours — around 4-5 a.m. — when the radiant level, in the constellation Lyra, climbs high in the northeast, halt to the brilliant star Vega.
This year, the lunar timing is also kind. A unique moon on April 17 means skies shall be largely free of moonlight for the duration of the peak mornings. That means even faint meteors may shine via from a dark-sky location.
The Lyrids have fascinated skywatchers for hundreds of years. They originate from debris left by Comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher, a long-duration visitor that last passed via the internal solar gadget in 1861 and will next search advice from in 2283. Each April, Earth plows via its dusty trail — miniature grains burning up in the atmosphere at around 30 miles per 2nd. A few explode into fireballs.
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How and when I am watching the Lyrids
I am going to be atmosphere up a camera for the Lyrids this year. (Image credit score: Haitong Yu via Getty Images)
You accomplish no longer want very finest darkness to earn one thing out of a meteor bathe. You certainly accomplish no longer want a telescope (one thing that will vastly restrict your chances). You fair want patience — and a decent workaround.
For me, that workaround is “lucky imaging.” I am going to level a broad-angle lens — someplace between 14mm and 24mm — towards the northeast, roughly where Lyra will climb. Point of curiosity is really important. I do know exactly where on the focal level dial to status my Sigma 14mm F1.8 DG HSM ART to obtain sharp-taking a gaze stars (I frail to exercise a miniature sticker to aid me — now I fair bear in mind). Will have to you accomplish no longer know your lens as neatly as that, focal level manually on a star, zooming in on it either in stay mode or on the captured image. Or status the dial to infinity level (∞) for your lens’ dial and take an image, nudging past it for each successive image till the stars are sharp.
It goes without saying that you may mild always have a fresh, empty SD card and shoot in RAW. I am going to status the camera to ISO 800-1600 and exercise 30-2nd exposures in steady mode. At first, I am going to effectively be looking to create a sharp-taking a gaze evening sky image. As soon as I am happy with the sharpness and the composition, I am going to click the shutter release and lock it in place. Then I am going to leave it for 3 hours or extra, taking image after image.
The beauty of this means is that the camera handiest blinks every 30 seconds. Whereas I am inner, warm and probably distracted, the camera is quietly gathering evidence — frame after frame of empty sky, till one contains a “shooting star.”
Is that this the purest way to watch a meteor bathe? No, nevertheless it affords me picks. I can be outside, eyes adapted, scanning the sky. After all, there’s no exchange for witnessing a meteor in real time. But delegating to a camera is also heavenly (or no longer it is what professional astronomers employ their complete careers doing), and often results in great images.
Stargazer’s nook: April 19-25, 2026
Venus will pass halt to the Pleiades this week. (Image credit score: Alan Dyer/Stocktrek Images via Getty Images)
The Lyrids are no longer the handiest fireballs in city.
