The last meteor shower of the year peaks a few days before Christmas

The last meteor shower of the year peaks a few days before Christmas. While usually not a bright shower, the Ursids can yield surprises. Most years, this shower produces about 5 to 10 visible meteors per hour under ideal viewing conditions. But outbursts in 1945 and 1986 produced up to 100 meteors per hour. The Ursids come from debris left by the comet 8P/Tuttle. The moon will be 59% full the night of the shower’s peak, obscuring some meteors. The Ursids peak on Sunday and viewing lasts until Dec. 26.



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