Ursid meteor shower 2024: Where and when to see the final meteor shower of the year

Ursid meteor shower 2024: Where and when to see the final meteor shower of the year

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If you missed out on the peak of the Geminid meteor shower previously this month, do not fret– there’s still another possibility to capture a “shooting star” screen this year. The Ursid meteor shower will peak over night from Dec. 21-22, right around the winter season solstice in the Northern Hemisphere.

The Ursids boast less meteors per hour than the Geminids, the Ursid meteor shower can produce some brilliant fireballs that show up even on moonlit nights. This meteor shower is still rewarding, particularly when seen around midnight before moonrise.

This year, the Ursids will show up from Dec. 17 to 26, peaking on the night of Dec. 21-22 with about 10 meteors per hour, according to EarthSky.org

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The Ursids are forecasted to produce the most activity prior to dawn, when the glowing– the point from which the meteors appear to originate– reaches its acme throughout nighttime hours. The Ursids’ glowing is the constellation Ursa Minor, likewise called the Little Dipper. The Little Dipper is circumpolar– indicating it will be noticeable all night in the Northern Hemisphere– so the Ursids will be noticeable all night.

On the night of Dec. 21-22, the moon will be a subsiding gibbous (in between 52% and 62% complete) and will reach its acme in the sky around 6 a.m. regional timethreatening to beat any meteors.

The moon does not begin to increase till simply before midnight regional time. To get the finest views, strategy on looking for the Ursids around midnight, when the moon is still low in the sky. To see the most meteors, discover a perspective as far from synthetic light as possible. Meteor showers are best seen with the naked eye– no stargazing field glasses or yard telescopes needed.

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Like the majority of other meteor showers, the Ursids are brought on by comet particles that goes through Earth’s environment. The Ursids’ moms and dad things is Comet 8P/Tuttle, which has to do with 3 miles (5 kilometers) large and takes about 13.6 years to orbit the sun.

The very first meteor shower of 2025 will be the Quadrantids, peaking on the night of Jan. 2-3.

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