See ‘Shooting Stars’ On The Solstice As Ursid Meteor Shower Peaks This Weekend

The closest meteor bathe to the winter vacation season, the Ursids, comes scorching on the heels of the Geminid meteor bathe in late December annually. It’s not probably the most highly effective bathe of the 12 months, yielding solely about 10 taking pictures stars every hour, however in 2024, it peaks simply hours after the northern hemisphere’s winter solstice on Saturday, December 21.

Ursids are additionally recognized to be brighter than most taking pictures stars. So if you’re outdoors at the moment of 12 months and also you do see a taking pictures star, it is in all probability an Ursid.

Here’s all the things it’s good to know concerning the Ursid meteor bathe in 2024.

What Is The Ursid Meteor Shower?

If you see a taking pictures star, all you are truly is a tiny particle colliding with the Earth’s ambiance, which glows for a cut up second because it heats up. These tiny particles of mud and particles are left within the photo voltaic system by comets as they go by means of on their very own orbit of the Sun. The Ursid meteor bathe is brought on by Earth bumping into mud and particles left by Comet 8P/Tuttle, which was found in 1790. Comet Tuttle was final seen within the photo voltaic system in 2008 and is due again in 2021.

About 5-10 Ursids per hour might be seen across the peak, with occasional outbursts producing over 25 per hour, in line with the American Meteor Society.

Ursid Meteor Shower: When To Look For ‘Shooting Stars’

Although formally, the Ursid meteor bathe stretches from December 13-24, Comet Tuttle leaves a reasonably slender stream of particles. So, if you wish to see an Ursid meteor, it’s essential to be sure you view it very near its peak. In 2024, that is on the evening of Saturday, December 21 and into the early morning of Sunday, December 22. The observing situations this 12 months can be fairly good, with a waning gibbous moon not rising till midnight.

Ursid Meteor Shower: Where To Look For ‘Shooting Stars’

This is a meteor bathe completely for these within the northern hemisphere. The “taking pictures stars” produced by the Ursid meteor bathe seem to return from the Ursa Minor constellation, greatest often known as both the Little Bear or the Little Dipper. The Ursids will seem to return from close by, truly from closest to the star Kochab. Ursa Minor is a a lot smaller, dimmer constellation than the rather more well-known Ursa Major—the Great Bear, which accommodates the well-known Big Dipper—however there’s one thing particular about Ursa Minor.

The star on the finish of the story of the little dipper is Polaris, which is not a very shiny star (it is truly solely the forty eighth brightest star within the evening sky) however has a particular standing amongst stargazers. Since Earth’s northern axis factors at Polaris, it seems to sit down straight above the North Pole, which is called the North Star.

The Ursids can, due to this fact, solely ever be seen within the northern hemisphere as a result of Polaris can’t be seen by anybody beneath the equator.

Shooting stars from the Ursa Major bathe can seem wherever within the sky, so you do not have to do something significantly difficult to see one apart from searching down a darkish nation sky free from mild air pollution.

Wishing you clear skies and extensive eyes.