When and How to Watch the Lyrid Meteor Shower Tonight
Spectators anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere will get a chance to view the meteor shower, so long as they look northeast toward the constellation of Lyra, the meteor shower’s namesake, according to Erika Hamden, an astrophysicist at the University of Arizona.
The peak time to watch is early Friday morning. This year the waning moon will be about 60% illuminated, which will “interfere by obscuring all but the brightest meteors,” said Robert Lunsford of the American Meteor Society.
Mr. Lunsford recommends watching the sky before the moon rises between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. Friday, depending on the location. Or, for dedicated spectators and insomniacs, the showers will again be more visible between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m.
People will be able to get a good look at the Lyrid meteor shower from any location in the Northern Hemisphere, so long as the skies are clear and dark, according to Anita Cochran, an astronomer at the University of Texas at Austin. But weather can interfere. Clouds can hinder spectators trying to see any meteors, she said.
Areas with streetlights could also make it difficult to see the shower. Mr. Lunsford said that anywhere with higher elevation could improve visibility despite the moon’s brightness.
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