See the last meteor shower of 2025 – just in time for the winter solstice
Skywatchers may be tempted this weekend when an under-appreciated meteor shower coincides with the new moon and the longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
The Geminids meteor over Lindisfarne Castle on Holy Isle in Nothumberland.
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Skywatchers, put on your gloves: the finale meteor shower The 2025 Ursids will peak this weekend.
The Ursids are often eclipsed Geminidswhich are often the most spectacular meteor shower of the year and peaked last weekend. That's because the Ursid meteor shower is typically sparser—five to 10 meteors per hour—so it's important to catch it at its peak. This year, the Ursid shower will peak in the evening of December 21st and continue until the wee hours of December 22nd.
Meteor showers are named after the constellation from which they come. In the case of the Ursids, this is Ursa Minor, also known as Ursa Minor. In particular, the meteors appear to be coming from a bright orange star called Kohab, which is one of two stars that make up the outer rim of the Little Dipper.
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To try to see the Ursids, go somewhere with dark skies and be prepared to wait—it will take about 30 minutes for your eyes to adjust to the light. Then look for Ursa Minor to get your bearings. Sweep your eyes across the sky and the meteors will appear to be coming from the constellation, but they won't be limited to it. Due to the location of Kochaba near the North Poleit and the Ursids will be visible to most people in the Northern Hemisphere all night long.
Conveniently, the new moon will fall on December 20th, and the winter solstice will occur the next day. A new moon means the sky will be quite dark for the Ursids to be depicted. And the solstice will mark the beginning of astronomical winter and the longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
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