It wasn’t a bird, a plane or Superman that made Brisbane’s sky come alight overnight. It wasn’t air pollution or an alien either.
No, the phenomenon behind the green fireball viewed by night owls or those watching the city’s 24/7 weather livestream was a meteor travelling about 40 kilometres a second that was probably the size of your fist.
While many stargazers believed the light show was part of the Lyrids meteor shower, which comes to the skies each April for about two weeks, experts say this meteor appeared to be from a different celestial event.
But the coincidence has now turned attention to the Lyrids shower, an event that has been happening in our skies for at least the past 2700 years or so.
What is the Lyrids meteor shower?
First recorded in 687BC by the Chinese, according to NASA, the Lyrids shower occurs when the Earth passes through the debris trail left by comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher, which was discovered by A.E. Thatcher on April 5, 1861.
When comets travel around the sun, they leave a dusty trail of particles behind them. These particles, which can also come from broken asteroids, then collide with our atmosphere when the Earth, on its 365-day orbit around the sun, comes into the trail’s path.
Named after the nearby constellation Lyra, Lyrids are what we see when Thatcher’s space debris enters our atmosphere and disintegrates, creating fiery streaks in the sky. Meteor showers occur roughly 30 times a year, but what makes the Lyrids unique – aside from the fact they’re one of the oldest recorded meteor showers in the world – is that they don’t leave long glowing dust trails.
They burn fast and bright, producing the occasional brilliant flash of a fireball. And while they aren’t as bountiful as the Perseids in August, up to 100 meteors an hour can sometimes be seen.
While 2025’s showers so far seem to be more of a sprinkle – unlike Virginia’s 1803 storm, with witnesses reporting up to 700 an hour – in general, anything above 10 to 20 meteors an hour in its peak is considered unusual. This year, it’s been roughly 18 meteors an hour in the shower’s peak, with the meteors entering the atmosphere at up to 47 kilometres per second.
What parts of Australia will it be visible over?
While active usually between April 14 and April 30 each year, this year’s peak was predicted for April 21 to April 22 in Australia, and came right on time.
Dramatic footage captured near Stanthorpe, close to the Queensland-NSW border, showed streaks of blue and green light dance across the sky on Monday night, with reports of sightings coming from as far north as Calliope, near Gladstone, and as far south as western Sydney.
Those in Bundaberg in Queensland and Glen Innes in regional NSW were treated to some of the clearest displays of the peak, though the showers are expected to continue until April 26.
What time will be best to see it?
In theory, the best time to see the Lyrids meteor shower is any time after moonset and before dawn, though Brisbane’s bright-green fireball on Monday night occurred around 7.30pm. Time and Date, meanwhile, puts the best time to see the meteors tonight in Australia from midnight to about 6am on Wednesday morning.
No special equipment is needed to see the Lyrids, just the naked eye. Experienced astronomy enthusiasts, however, know there are tricks of the trade. It’s recommended to find an area away from city and street lights, and spend at least 30 minutes looking at the sky beforehand to let your eyes adjust.
This means putting away your phone – the more time you spend looking at the screen, the longer it will take your eyes to adjust to the dark. Once they have adjusted, you’ll start seeing the Lyrids.
NASA says the best way to absorb the event is to lie flat on your back, looking up, with your feet facing east. The point meteor showers usually appear to emanate from is known as the radiant, though they can appear in any part of the night sky.
In this case, it’s a safe bet to look to the Lyrids’ radiant, which is constellation Lyra. That’s identifiable by blue-white star Vega, the fifth-brightest star in the night sky.
If you miss out on seeing it over the next few days, there’s always next year. Or early May, when the annual Eta Aquarids meteor shower is expected to peak on May 6 and May 7.