We call them shooting stars, but it’s actually meteors that create dazzling streaks of light across our night sky.
Dec. 21 not only marks the start of winter, but the peak of the last meteor shower of the year.
If you’re eager to bundle up and see the show, the Ursid meteor shower peaks on the night of Dec. 21 into the early-dawn hours of Dec. 22, according to EarthSky.
Meteor showers happen as Earth passes through the dust and ice debris or tail of a comet. What we see as a “shooting star” is not star-related but happens as the debris burns up in Earth’s atmosphere.
In the Ursids’ case, the show comes from the leftovers of Comet 8P/Tuttle – discovered back in 1790, EarthSky says.
The meteors will appear to originate from just below and to the right of the “Little Dipper” constellation, which is home to the “North Star” Polaris. But meteors can be spotted anywhere in the night sky.
To spot the meteors, find the darkest skies possible away from city lights and an area with open horizons. When in doubt about where to go, an International Dark Sky Sanctuary location is best if you have one nearby.
The meteor shower will run through the night, but for the best results, you’ll want to head out before midnight, when a quarter Moon is set to rise and add unwanted moonlight to the skies.
Unlike the Geminid meteor shower that peaked earlier this week, the Ursid meteor shower is what some astronomers term as a “low-key” meteor shower. In most years, the Ursids only offer a handful of meteor sightings per hour, according to EarthSky.
But some years can suddenly put on a show. EarthSky says sudden bursts of 100 meteors an hour or more have occurred in 1945 and 1986 with a moderate burst in 1973, and that’s what keeps skygazers coming back each year.
What is the skygazing forecast for the Ursids?
(FOX Weather)
The best viewing conditions appear to be across much of the South, where mostly clear skies are forecast from Los Angeles and Arizona across Texas and the southern Plains into the Southeast.
On the other hand, clouds look to block much, if not all, of the show across parts of the Northwest, Great Lakes and Northeast.
However, an arctic air mass will bring some of the coldest temperatures of the season to the Upper Midwest, Great Lakes and the Northeast Saturday night.
The FOX Forecast Center is expecting widespread temperatures in the teens and even single digits during the peak viewing times, perhaps making it too dangerous to be outside for extended periods.