Lyrid Meteor Shower Peak: When To Watch For Fireballs In SoCal

LOS ANGELES, CA — It’s time to start watching for fireballs in the skies over Southern California as the Lyrid meteor shower peak approaches this weekend.

The best times to view this shooting star show, known for producing fireballs that blaze across the sky and leave dust trails that last for several seconds, are from evening to dawn Friday through Monday morning.

That all hinges on the weather, of course. Forecasters are expecting mostly clear skies across the Southland as a heatwave builds in the region, making for comfortable nighttime viewing.

On Saturday and Sunday, highs are expected to hit the mid-to-high 80s in Anaheim; around 90 in the Coachella Valley, Riverside and Los Angeles; and the high 70s in San Diego, according to the National Weather Service.

As the heat dissipates Sunday, low clouds and fog could return to the coast from San Diego to Malibu at night. The best views Sunday and Monday morning should be further inland, in the mountains and in the desert.

If that forecast holds, viewing conditions will be close to ideal. The moon will barely shine — it will be 2 percent illuminated and will set around 9:30 p.m. Friday, 10:30 p.m. Saturday and 11:30 p.m. Sunday.

It's been very dusty in the Coachella Valley recently: A South Coast AQMD Dust Advisory is in effect until 3 p.m. Friday, leaving hope that the polluted air will subside in time for this weekend's show.

With all meteor showers, find an area that’s far from city lights or street lights. Bring blankets and sleeping bags, and lie flat on your back, so you can take in as much of the sky as possible. Give your eyes a chance to adapt to the light, and you should begin to see meteors.

Meteors are leftover comet particles and bits broken from asteroids, When comets — in the case of the Lyrids, Comet Thatcher — orbit the sun, they leave behind a dusty trail. When Earth passes through the debris trail every year, these bits collide with our atmosphere and disintegrate into fiery, colorful streaks, according to NASA.

Comet Thatcher is a long-period comet whose orbit of the sun takes 415.5 years. To have seen its last closest approach to the sun, you’d have to have been around in 1861.

The Lyrids continue through April 29, intersecting with the Eta Aquariids, which also started on April 5.

• Related: 2023 Guide To Meteor Showers, Supermoons, Full Moons

Sometimes called the Eta Aquariids, the show runs through May 27 this year. The peak occurs May 5-6 — at the same time the full flower moon is 100 percent full.

The Eta Aquariids have a broad peak, and that means skywatchers may see elevated numbers of meteors a few days before and after the peak, though the moonlight will compete, according to EarthSky.org.

At the peak, the Eta Aquariids produce between 10 and 30 meteors an hour, according to NASA. They’re known for their speed, entering Earth’s atmosphere at about 148,000 miles an hour, and also for leaving glowing “trains” — incandescent bits of debris — that last for several seconds to minutes.