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If you missed the blossom of theGeminid meteor showerearlier this month , do n’t worry — there ’s still another chance to catch a " shooting star " display this yr . The Ursid meteor shower will peak overnight from Dec. 21 - 22 , right around the wintertime solstice in the Northern Hemisphere .
Although the Ursids bluster few meteors per hr than the Geminids , the Ursid meteoroid shower bath can bring forth some brightfireballsthat are visible even on moony night . So this meteor shower is still worthwhile , especially when consider around midnight before moonrise .
A meteor falls over Spruce Knob, West Virginia
This twelvemonth , the Ursids will be visible from Dec. 17 to 26 , top out on the night of Dec. 21 - 22 with about 10 meteors per time of day , agree toEarthSky.org .
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The Ursids are predict to produce the most activity just before dawn , when the radiant — the point from which the meteors appear to emanate — progress to its highest degree during nocturnal minute . The Ursids ' radiant is the constellation Ursa Minor , also known as the Little Dipper . The Little Dipper is circumpolar — stand for it will be seeable all dark in the Northern Hemisphere — so the Ursids will be visible all night as well .
However , on the Nox of Dec. 21 - 22 , the moon will be a wane humpbacked ( between52%and62%full ) and will reach its highest peak in the sky around6 a.m. local time , threatening to outshine any meteor .
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The moonshine does n’t start to ascend until just before midnight local time , though . So , to get the upright position , contrive on take care for the Ursids around midnight , when the moon is still low in the sky . To see the most meteoroid , find a vantage point as far from artificial light as potential . Meteor showers are best see with the defenseless eye — nostargazing binocularsorbackyard telescopesnecessary .
Like most other meteor shower , the Ursids are due to comet debris that pass by through Earth ’s atmosphere . The Ursids ' parent aim is Comet 8P / Tuttle , which is about 3 miles ( 5 kilometers ) wide and study about 13.6 year to orbit the Dominicus .
The first meteor shower of 2025 will be the Quadrantids , peak on the night of Jan. 2 - 3 .
