Map Reveals Best States to See Lyrid Meteor Shower This Weekend

A forecast map from AccuWeather has revealed the best locations for American skywatcher to view the Lyrid meteor shower as they shoot across the night sky over the weekend.

Why It Matters

The annual Lyrid meteor shower is set to reach its peak during the night of April 21 into April 22. It is associated with Comet C/1861 G1 (Thatcher) and on average produces between 15 and 20 meteors per hour.

Meteor showers like the Lyrids provide a window into the ancient history of our solar system. According to Space.com, this specific shower has been observed for more than 2,700 years, with recorded sightings as far back as 687 B.C.

What To Know

According to AccuWeather's forecast map for Monday night, the best places to see the celestial phenomenon include California, Utah, Colorado, and Nevada, as well as parts of western and southern Texas, Washington, Oregon, Wyoming, Arizona, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, and Missouri.

"Fair" viewing conditions would exist in Montana, North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Florida, the map showed.

States on the East Coast and in the southeast fared less well, according to the forecast, with the majority in the "poor" viewing area.

The Lyrids are visible anywhere between April 15 and April 29, with peak activity expected the evening of April 21 to 22. The meteors' radiant point is in the constellation Lyra, near the bright star Vega.

Fox Weather reports that the moon's waning phase will result in minimal light, making it easier to see the meteors.

What People Are Saying

Shawn Dahl, with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) told Newsweek: "It is not normally a particularly impressive meteor shower, somewhere between 10-20 Lyrids in an hour; however, on some rare occasions it can be a bit more spectacular and many more can be seen in an hour...

"The moon will come up in the post-midnight hours Apr 21-22, so the skies in the mid-evening to midnight hours will be moon-free allowing for better chances of seeing a meteor.

"There is no particularly best place in the U.S. to witness them, as anyone can see them if looking up and seeing one at just the right time. But, the best thing is always to be away from city lights in order to observe the fainter meteor streaks."

What Happens Next

Stargazers who find themselves in states with poor viewing conditions can still look ahead to the Eta Aquarids meteor shower, which reaches its peak in May.