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Look up to witness the Ursid meteor shower, the final celestial spectacle of the year, on Sunday morning.
The petite meteor shower is frequently eclipsed by the Geminid meteor shower, which peaks about a week prior. Moreover, the Ursids always occur around the winter solstice, the year’s shortest day and longest night, happening this Saturday. This meteor shower is also the least observed due to the hectic holiday season and generally cold, overcast nights in the Northern Hemisphere during this period, as stated by the American Meteor Society.
This shower is biased towards the Northern Hemisphere, as the radiant, or the location from which the meteors seem to originate in the nighttime sky, never ascends sufficiently high in the sky for those in the Southern Hemisphere.
The moon will be at 54% fullness on Sunday, as per NASA, which will hinder visibility for the faint meteors, but experts have provided tips to enhance your viewing of the Ursids.
The meteor shower is forecasted to peak between 4 and 5 a.m. ET Sunday, according to Robert Lunsford, fireball report coordinator for the American Meteor Society. However, meteors may also be visible just after midnight, as noted by EarthSky.
The Ursids originate from the bowl of the Little Dipper, also referred to as the Ursa Minor constellation, located near the luminous orange star known as Kochab, according to Lunsford.
While the moon rises around midnight local time for most locations in North America, the evening hours preceding moonrise may be the least favorable time to attempt to catch a sighting of the meteors, as the meteor activity will be obscured and blocked by the horizon.
Instead, Lunsford advises searching for meteors streaking across the sky in the last hours before dawn. Up to 10 meteors could be visible per hour. Just remember to shield your view from the moon to increase your chances of spotting meteors, he commented.
“To optimize your chances of seeing these meteors, face north with the moon behind you,” Lunsford suggested via email. “Recline in a comfortable chair and position your gaze halfway up in the sky so that the horizon is at the bottom of your visual field. If trees or other obstructions interfere with your view, adjust your gaze a little higher in the sky. The atmosphere is densest in the lower sections of the sky, where you will notice the most activity.”
To help your eyes acclimate to the darkness and enhance your odds of observing meteors, the American Meteor Society suggests dressing warmly against the frigid temperatures and staying outdoors for a minimum of one hour.
The meteor shower happens as Earth intersects the stream of debris left by comet 8P/Tuttle, which releases material during its solar orbit, according to EarthSky.
The Ursids are also somewhat of a recent meteor shower, as reported by EarthSky. While many meteor showers that occur throughout the year have been annual events for centuries, the Ursids were not documented until the 20th century when observers noted meteors that seemed to originate from the Little Dipper.
The Ursids may be the last meteor shower to peak this year, but the Quadrantids are close behind.
The annual Quadrantid meteor shower will grace the night sky on December 26 and will be at its most vigorous as 2025 begins, as per the American Meteor Society.
The Quadrantids will contend with less interference from the bright moon, which will only be 11% full during peak activity.
“If the sky is overcast on the morning of December 22nd, you will have another chance to view a meteor shower shortly thereafter when the Quadrantids peak on the morning of January 3rd,” Lunsford mentioned.