Last meteor shower of the year peaks a few days before Christmas

The last meteor shower of the year — the Ursids — peaks Sunday, a few days before Christmas.

While usually not as bright as the Geminids, the Ursid meteor shower can yield surprises.

“The Ursids are generally a sparse meteor shower,” producing about 5 to 10 visible meteors per hour under ideal viewing conditions, said Shyam Balaji at King’s College London.

But outbursts in 1945 and 1986 produced up to 100 meteors per hour, he said.

“This unpredictability keeps skywatchers interested,” said Balaji, adding it’s not possible to predict in advance what this year will bring.

Most meteor showers originate from the debris of comets and there’s no special equipment needed to view them. The Ursids come from the comet 8P/Tuttle.

The moon will be 59% full that night, obscuring some meteors. Viewing lasts until Dec. 26.

The next meteor shower, the Quadrantids, peaks on Jan 3.

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.