Melbourne, Australia
Lyrids 2027 from Melbourne
The Lyrids peak on the night of Thursday, April 22. From Melbourne the best time to watch is around 4:22 AM, when the radiant is low in the north. Under a dark sky that means up to about 2 meteors an hour. From inside the city you will see far fewer.
The night at a glance
- Gets dark
- 6:42 PM
- Radiant rises
- 12:32 AM
- Best time
- 4:22 AM
- Light again
- 5:55 AM
- Moon
- 97% lit and up all night, which hides the fainter meteors
Times are local to Melbourne, worked out for the city centre. Dark means the sun is 12 degrees below the horizon.
Where to look
Meteors can appear anywhere in the sky. They streak away from the radiant, which sits low in the north at its best. Face that way but keep your gaze wide. Give your eyes twenty minutes to adjust and keep your phone in your pocket. The darker your spot, the more you will see.
About the Lyrids
The Lyrids are active from mid to late April. The meteors are debris from comet Thatcher (C/1861 G1) and hit the atmosphere at about 49 km per second. At the peak, a perfectly dark sky with the radiant overhead would show about 18 an hour. Real counts are lower.