2026 Lyrids Meteor Shower: How to Plan and Photograph It
The 2026 Lyrids peak April 22 with a favorable crescent moon window. Here's how to plan your location, timing, and camera settings to photograph one of the oldest meteor showers in the sky.
The Lyrids meteor shower 2026 peaks on the night of April 21 - April 22, and the conditions are worth planning around. The moon (a waxing crescent) sets after midnight, leaving the peak viewing hours dark. If you've been looking for an early-season shoot, the timing lines up.
What the Lyrids are
The Lyrids are debris from Comet Thatcher, an ancient comet whose orbit crosses Earth's path every April. Humans have been watching this shower for at least 2,700 years, making it one of the oldest recorded meteor showers.
Under a dark sky, expect 10–15 meteors per hour at peak. The Lyrids are known for occasional outburst years where rates climb to 100 per hour. These outbursts follow a rough 60-year cycle, with the next one predicted for around 2042. In a typical year the shower is modest, but the meteors are bright, often colorful, with a higher-than-average fireball rate for a minor shower.
When is the Lyrids meteor shower 2026 peak?
The Lyrids peak on the morning of April 22, 2026. The shower runs April 16–25, with the predicted maximum around 19:40–20:00 UTC. North American observers get the best window from midnight through dawn on April 22, after the crescent moon sets and the radiant climbs higher in the northeast.
The predicted peak around 19:40–20:00 UTC translates to late afternoon or early evening for North American observers, so the exact maximum favors European skies. That said, rates hold reasonably well through the peak night, so watching from midnight through dawn on April 22 puts you close to optimal.
The radiant (the point in the sky meteors appear to originate from) sits near Vega in Lyra, low in the northeastern sky before midnight. As the night progresses, Vega rises higher and the radiant climbs with it. Higher radiant means more meteors visible above the horizon, which is another reason to stay out past midnight.
Moon phase this year is favorable. The waxing crescent sets before the radiant reaches a useful altitude, leaving the late-night and pre-dawn hours dark for April meteor shower photography.
Planning your location
Meteors are visible anywhere with clear sky, but the Lyrids are a modest shower. Light pollution will wash out the fainter ones quickly. Aim for Bortle 4 or darker. Bortle 3 or less is ideal.
That typically means leaving urban and suburban areas behind, often by an hour or two. You can check Bortle class and identify dark sky areas near you at milkywayplanner.com before committing to a drive.
Open sky matters more than a dramatic foreground for meteor shooting. You want a wide, unobstructed view oriented toward the northeast and overhead. Arrive at least 30–45 minutes before you want to start shooting. Eyes need time to dark-adapt, and you'll want a few test frames to dial in focus before the good hours.
Camera settings for Lyrids astrophotography
Wide-angle lenses are the right tool for meteor shower astrophotography. A 14mm, 20mm, or 24mm gives you enough sky coverage to catch meteors that can appear anywhere overhead, not just near the radiant. Use the 500 rule for your exposure ceiling: divide 500 by your focal length to get the maximum shutter speed before stars start trailing. At 20mm that's 25 seconds. At 14mm you can push to about 35.
Start with f/2.8 (or your widest aperture), ISO 3200, and a 20-second exposure. Check the histogram on your first few frames and bump ISO up if the sky looks underexposed, or pull it back if you're washing out highlights. Set focus manually to infinity, then zoom into a bright star on the rear LCD and make small adjustments until stars look sharp.
Don't aim directly at Vega. Meteors near the radiant appear shorter because they're heading toward you. Aim 40–60 degrees away, toward the overhead sky, and you'll catch meteors with longer, more dramatic trails.
Use continuous shooting or an intervalometer to keep the camera firing. A meteor crosses the frame in under a second. Gaps are missed shots.
Before you go
Start checking the forecast for April 22 about a week out. The active Lyrids window runs through April 25, so if you get clouded out on the peak night, the nights either side are worth attempting. Rates won't be quite as high, but they'll be close enough. Pack a red light and dress for cold. April nights at dark-sky sites can drop fast, and you're looking at a few hours outside.
