Meteor Shower
Ursids Meteor Shower
Peak rates of about 10 meteors per hour under ideal dark skies. Radiant in Ursa Minor.
Your local time
22 Dec 2025, 13:02
Universal time
22 Dec 2025, 07:32 UTC
Time since
—
The Ursids are produced by debris from Comet 8P/Tuttle. Meteors appear to radiate from a point at RA 217°, Dec 76°, entering the atmosphere at about 33 km/s. The quoted zenithal hourly rate of 10 assumes a radiant overhead and a perfectly dark sky; real observed rates are usually lower. No equipment is needed — lie back, let your eyes dark-adapt for 20 minutes and watch a wide patch of sky.
Observation details
- Visibility
- Partially visible
- Best viewing time
- 22 Dec 2025, 06:02
- Direction to look
- NNW · azimuth 345°
- Altitude at peak
- 33.8°
- Equipment
- Naked Eye
- Zenithal hourly rate
- ~10/hr
- Parent
- Comet 8P/Tuttle
- Entry velocity
- 33 km/s
- Solar longitude at peak
- 270.70°
At the exact peak the sky is still bright, but the object is 39° high in darkness nearby.
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Photography & observing tips
- •Give your eyes at least 20 minutes to dark-adapt and avoid white light entirely.
- •Look about 40° away from the radiant rather than straight at it — meteors there leave longer trails.
- •For photography use a fast wide lens at f/2.8 or wider, 15–25 second exposures, and shoot continuously.
Event timeline
Times shown in your local timezone, computed from the event geometry.
Activity ramps up
17 Dec 2025, 13:02 · 17 Dec 2025, 07:32 UTC
Peak
22 Dec 2025, 13:02 · 22 Dec 2025, 07:32 UTC
Activity fades
27 Dec 2025, 13:02 · 27 Dec 2025, 07:32 UTC
Other meteor shower events
The nearest occurrences before and after this one.