A bright celestial object was spotted over Kyiv at night
Late on Sunday evening, April 19, 2026, residents of the capital witnessed a spectacular astronomical phenomenon.
A bright celestial object flew over the buildings of Kyiv and the train station, leaving a distinctive trail of light in its wake.
Videos of the event instantly spread across social media, and local public groups were quick to dub the object a “comet.” However, experts quickly clarified the situation, explaining the true nature of the nighttime flash.
Igor Mekheda, a researcher of anomalous phenomena, reported on the morning of April 20 that residents of Kyiv had observed a bright meteor. According to him, a large fragment from the Lyrid meteor shower had entered the dense layers of the atmosphere.
“Many people mistook it for a comet, but that’s not the case. A comet is visible in the east about 50 minutes before sunrise,” Mekheda clarified.
An interesting coincidence: the researcher noted that exactly two years ago on this same day, a bright fireball was also observed over Kyiv, the remnants of which fell near the village of Popilnia.
The Lyrid meteor shower is one of the oldest known to humankind—the first records of it date back to 687 BC.
According to NASA, at the peak of the shower, 10 to 20 meteors per hour are observed.
Although they rarely leave long dust trails, their collisions with the atmosphere create striking colorful streaks that are often perceived by the naked eye as anomalous phenomena.
A comet from another star system has shown unusual activity
Ukrainians will see the peak of the Lyrid meteor shower on the night of April 22
