Ursid Meteor Shower 2024: Dates, Viewing Tips, and Best Times

The Ursid Meteor Shower 2024 peaks on Dec 21-22, offering brilliant sky views.

Advertisement
Written by Gadgets 360 Staff | Updated: 17 December 2024 17:00 IST
Highlights
  • Ursid meteor shower 2024 peaks on Dec 21-22
  • Best viewing before dawn on Dec 22
  • Find dark spots for optimal Ursid meteor watching
Ursid Meteor Shower 2024: Dates, Viewing Tips, and Best Times

A meteor falls over Spruce Knob, West Virginia

Photo Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

The last meteor shower of 2024, the Ursids, will peak during the night of December 21 to 22, coinciding with the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere. This annual event is expected to display around 10 meteors per hour at its peak, based on information from EarthSky.org. Although not as prolific as the Geminids earlier in December, the Ursids can still produce vibrant fireballs visible even under moonlit conditions, offering a striking experience for skywatchers.

The Ursid meteor shower will be active from December 17 to 26, with optimal viewing anticipated before dawn on December 22. The meteors originate from the debris of Comet 8P/Tuttle, a celestial body with a diameter of approximately 5 kilometres and an orbit around the sun lasting 13.6 years. The radiant point for the Ursids lies in the constellation Ursa Minor, also referred to as the Little Dipper, which remains visible throughout the night in the Northern Hemisphere.

How to Maximise Viewing Opportunities

The waning gibbous moon, which will be 52 percent to 62 percent illuminated on the night of December 21 to 22, may hinder visibility, reaching its highest position in the sky at about 6 a.m. local time. To improve chances of spotting meteors, viewing is advised around midnight when the moon is lower on the horizon. Observers are encouraged to find locations far from artificial light to enhance the experience.

Reports indicate that meteor showers like the Ursids are best observed with the unaided eye, as equipment such as binoculars or telescopes may restrict the field of view. Stargazers should also allow their eyes to adjust to the dark for optimal results.

Advertisement

 

 

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Advertisement
Popular Mobile Brands
  1. Vivo X200 FE Global Launch Confirmed; Design Teased
  2. Poco F7 Launch Date, Price in India, Design and Key Features Leaked Online
  3. WhatsApp Is Finally introducing Ads on Its Messaging App
  4. OnePlus Nord 5 Series, OnePlus Buds 4 to Launch in India on This Date
  5. Oppo Reno 14 5G Series, Watch X2 Mini, Enco Buds 3, Pad SE to Launch Globally
  6. Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Refreshed With Intel Core Ultra 9 CPU, RTX 5090 GPUs
  7. Oppo K13x 5G India Launch Date, Price Range and Key Features Revealed
  8. Meta Partners With Oakley for New Smart Glasses; to Launch on June 20
  9. Apple to Ship 2.8 Million iPhone Units in India in Q2 Despite Slowdown
  10. Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Series Design Revealed in New Leaked Renders
  1. OpenAI Improves Web Search Tool in ChatGPT, Can Now Handle More Complex Queries
  2. Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Series New Renders Leaked; Classic Variant Shown With Rotating Bezel
  3. Google Pixel 10 Series to Use a Tele-Macro Camera For Improved Close-Up Photography: Report
  4. Meta and Oakley Announce New Smart Glasses Collaboration, Launch Set for June 20
  5. WhatsApp Announces Ads in Status, Channel Subscriptions, and More Features for Businesses
  6. Bitget Partners UNICEF Unit to Expand Blockchain Training Across India, Other Countries 
  7. WhatsApp Reportedly Working on Ability to Scan Documents on Android Smartphones
  8. ElevenLabs Expands Eleven V3 Text-to-Speech Model With Support for 41 New Languages
  9. Vivo T4 Lite 5G India Launch Confirmed; Battery Capacity, Price Range Teased
  10. TikTok Pushes Deeper Into AI-Generated Video Ads With New Tools
Gadgets 360 is available in
Download Our Apps
Available in Hindi
© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2025. All rights reserved.