Get ready to gaze at the night sky this Sunday morning as the Ursid meteor shower makes its final celestial display of the year. The diminutive shower, often overshadowed by the Geminid meteor shower, will take place near the winter solstice and is expected to peak between 4-5 a.m. ET.
According to Robert Lunsford, fireball report coordinator for the American Meteor Society, the best viewing times are in the final hours before dawn, with up to 10 meteors visible per hour. To increase your chances of spotting meteors, face the direction of the Little Dipper constellation and center your sight half-way up in the sky. The moon will be 54% full on Sunday, limiting visibility for faint meteors.
The Ursids originate from the bowl of the Little Dipper, near the bright orange star called Kochab. To make the most of viewing, avoid the evening hours before moonrise and bundle up against the cold temperatures to allow your eyes to adjust.
This year’s meteor shower season is wrapping up with the Ursid meteor shower. However, just around the corner lies another exciting event – the Quadrantids, which will peak on December 26, offering better viewing conditions due to a less full moon.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2024/12/21/science/ursid-meteor-shower-december-2024/index.html