Lyrids in Cape Town

The Lyrids meteor shower peaks from Cape Town around Apr 22, with up to 18 meteors per hour under ideal conditions. In 2026 a half moon will wash out fainter meteors, and from Cape Town the radiant in Lyra climbs to 22° above the north horizon around 04:45. Local best viewing window: 02:30–05:50 SAST on the peak night, about 3.3 hours of astronomical darkness. Scaled to that altitude, the 18/hour headline figure works out to roughly 7 meteors an hour from Cape Town under a genuinely dark sky. The radiant stays low from Cape Town, so expect fewer meteors but longer, shallower trails near the horizon. Tonight: solid cover, with no real breaks forecast.