Lyrid meteor shower 2026: How stargazers in UAE can catch April’s shooting stars
Some tips for escaping city lights to see the Lyrid meteor show over desert skies
Want to catch some “shooting stars”?
Tonight (April 23, 2026) may be your best chance.
That's when the Lyrid meteor shower, the springtime celestial event, turns up.
They can be seen from skies above the UAE, though visibility depends heavily on atmospheric conditions.
Each year in mid-April, Earth passes through the trail of dust and debris left behind by Comet C/1861 G1 (Thatcher).
Peak Lyrid showers
As these tiny particles enter Earth’s atmosphere at high speed, they burn up and produce brief streaks of light — the “shooting stars” that make up a meteor shower, according to Nasa.
To catch the celestial treat, it's best to the East as the Lyrid meteor shower hits its peak.
When to catch the Lyrids
In 2026, the Lyrids were active roughly from April 16 to April 25, with peak activity around Wednesday to Thursday (April 22–23, 2026).
Under optimal dark skies, observers in the Northern Hemisphere could see roughly 15–20 meteors per hour around the peak.
Occasionally, there may be more if Earth passes through a denser part of the "debris stream".
Tips for stargazers
Locally, enthusiasts have shared that sightings may be clearer in the early morning after midnight when light pollution, haze and moonlight are lowest (though conditions can vary by year).
For viewers in and around UAE, finding a location well away from the city’s bright lights and haze is important.
Light pollution in urban areas makes it harder to spot fainter meteors, so observers often head to quieter desert locations late at night
Alternatibely, you may spot the Lyrids in the early pre-dawn hours when the shower’s radiant — a point in the constellation Lyra near the bright star Vega — is high in the sky.
No telescope or binoculars are necessary; meteors can appear anywhere across the sky.
Letting your eyes adapt to the dark for about 20–30 minutes increases your chance of seeing more meteors.
