Meteor shower to appear over Cambridgeshire city

The Lyrid meteor shower will peak on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, and will be visible across the UK – here’s everything you need to know to catch the display

The oldest-recorded meteor shower is set to light up the night sky next week, as Earth passes through debris left in the wake of comet Thatcher during its journey around the sun centuries ago.

Stargazers can expect between 10 and 15 meteors per hour at the shower’s peak, though those particularly fortunate may witness an outburst potentially producing up to 100 meteors per hour.

Named after the constellation Lyra, from which the meteors appear to originate, the shower will run from April 16 to April 26 and reach its peak next Tuesday, April 21. With the moon in a waning crescent phase and setting late in the evening, conditions for viewing should be ideal.

People living in Peterborough may be lucky to see it, as it is set to appear over the city. For those wanting to see it, it’s advised they head to darker places to experience it at its best. The clearer the sky, the higher the number of meteors you are likely to spot, reports the Irish Mirror.

The constellation is generally straightforward to locate as it contains Vega, one of the brightest stars visible in the night sky. While the radiant point marks where the meteors appear to stem from, they will streak across the entire sky, lighting it up brilliantly. For the best experience, allow your eyes sufficient time to adjust to the darkness; this will ensure you can pick them out immediately.

The Lyrid meteors will be strikingly bright and may on occasion even outshine the planet Venus at their most dazzling. The vivid colours are produced by minuscule dust particles, no bigger than a grain of sand, as they interact with the molecules and ions present in Earth’s atmosphere. The luminous display becomes visible as these fragments heat up and ionise, with the characteristic streak appearing as the meteor cools and fades from view.

While the shower originates from debris left behind by Comet Thatcher, it is in fact impossible to observe the long-period comet itself.

First identified by scientists in 1861, the comet takes roughly 415 years to complete a single orbit around the sun. It will reach its furthest point from the sun at around 2070, before making its return to our skies sometime in the vicinity of the year 2283.