Discovering 2025’s Lilid and Eta Aquarid Meteor Showers: A Guide

The Lyrids and ETA Aquarids Meteor showers will soon appear in the night sky. This year, bright lyrids peaked on the nights of April 21st to April 22nd, during the night of May 5th and dawn, and they begin to be visible within a few days of each other in April.

What is Lyrids Meteor Shower?

Lilid is attributed to the fact that fragments from Thatcher’s comet interact with the Earth’s atmosphere, eventually collapse, becoming bright stripes of light found in the night sky. The meteor shower radiation – the place in the night sky where meteors appear to emit – is located in the northern hemisphere constellation Lila, which includes the bright star Vega. People have been finding Lyrid for at least 2700 years. “Lilid is probably the smallest of the major showers.” Margaret Campbell Brown At Western University in Canada. “The rate isn’t as high as most other meteor showers, but sometimes there are a lot of bright meteors.”

When is the Lyrids Meteor Shower?

This year, Lilid will be active from April 17th to April 26th. Their peak activity occurs on the night of April 21st, and is the most visible just before dawn on April 22nd.

How can you increase your chances of seeing Lilid?

Lilids are best seen from the Northern Hemisphere of Earth in the dark moment just before dawn. Meteors usually look like fast stripes of light, and can sometimes create bright flashes. On a typical night, you can see around 5-6 meteors every hour, up to 10-20 meteors at peak times. The constellation Lyra is below the horizon for most viewers in the Southern Hemisphere, but Lilids may still be seen in a more limited number. “We have a little moon this year, but if there are a lot of bright meteors that aren’t that important,” Campbell-Brown says.

What is the ETA Aquarido meteor shower?

The ETA aquarid meteor is a icy rock fragment originally submerged by Halley’s comet, which eventually reaches Earth’s atmosphere and collapses in a fiery nighttime display. The shower radiation is located near Eta Aquarii, one of the brightest stars in the constellation Aquarius. “They are very interesting showers and have produced strong explosions for several years,” Campbell-Brown said. But she says she will probably do more moderate activities this year.

When is the ETA Aquarido meteor shower?

This year, ETA Aquaridos can be seen between April 20th and May 28th. The best viewing times are during the peak period from midnight to dawn on May 5th.

How can you increase your chances of seeing ETA aquarido?

The Southern Hemisphere offers the perfect viewing opportunity for ETA Aquarido. It is also visible in the Northern Hemisphere, but is much lower in the night sky, so the sky watchers there must look towards the horizon to see the meteor. “Shower radiation only rises a few hours before dawn in the Northern Hemisphere. By the time the sky is high, there are only small windows for observers to see the meteors,” says Campbell-Brown. ETA aquaridos can sometimes leave behind a sparkling dust train that appears to be visible for seconds or minutes, she says. It is expected that approximately 10-30 meteors per hour can be seen from the Northern Hemisphere and approximately 30 meteors per hour from the Southern Hemisphere.

Meteor spawning tips from astronomers

Your best bet is to get out of town and find the darkest sky possible, Campbell Brown says. She recommends bringing a star map to help you find the constellations where each meteor shower will occur. You don’t move around much, so wearing warm clothes is also a good idea.

“It’s not important to see where in the sky. If you look at the radiation, you may get a little higher rate. Both of these showers rise in the east, but the sky is dark and clear,” she says.

Keep in mind that some of the meteors you see are not necessarily from the shower of these specific meteors. But for both meteor showers, the best viewing opportunities happen well after the hours of sunset before dawn, says Campbell-Brown.