The Ursids are the last meteor shower of the year. And they are expected to peak this week.
The Ursid meteor shower will be visible in the US through December 26th and is likely to reach its peak during the late-night hours of Tuesday, December 21st into the early morning hours on Wednesday, December 22nd.
On December 18th the “cold moon” turned full and on Dec. 22 it will make skywatching difficult. With 90% illumination, it is hard to see the faintest meteors.
In 1945 and 1986, the Ursids generated a high volume of meteors. As many as 50 meteors per hour were seen. There have also been years where “bursts of 100 or more meteors per hour have been observed,” according to EarthSky.org.
