The Ursid meteor shower arrives, the last of 2025

The last meteor shower of 2025, the Ursid meteor shower, arrives each year around the winter solstice. While it isn’t as impressive as the recent Geminid shower, it’s still worth seeing.

What causes most meteor showers?

Meteor showers occur when the Earth passes through debris left over from a comet or asteroid. This debris material is usually no bigger than a large grain of sand. When these particles enter the Earth’s atmosphere, they burn up, leaving bright, sometimes colorful streaks of light in the night sky.

In the case of the Ursids, the debris trail is left over from Comet 8P/Tuttle. This comet was first discovered in 1790 by Pierre Mechain from Paris, France. Later, in 1858, Horace Tuttle of Harvard University rediscovered the comet when its orbit took it back through the solar system.

When and where to meet watch

The Ursids range from Dec. 13 to 24. The peak arrives on the evening of December 21st through dawn. Make sure you dress warmly and find a dark location, away from lights. A country area is ideal. Allow your eyes to adjust to the night sky, which takes up to 30 minutes. The best time to watch the sky is from around 1 a.m. EST until dawn.

All annual meteor showers have a radiant point from which they originate. With the Ursids, they radiate from the area of the constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Minor. (Big Dipper & Little Dipper). More specifically, from the star Kochab in the Little Dipper constellation. Look for the Big Dipper and the star Kochab well to the north-northeast.

Keep in mind, you don’t need to look directly at the radiant point (near the star Kochab in the Little Dipper); looking about 30 to 40 degrees away often yields longer, more impressive meteor trails across the sky.

Here is the cloud forecast across the nation during the peak viewing time:

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