A quiet solstice shower, circumpolar for northern skies.
Peak rate
~10 meteors/hr at peak
Active
17 Dec – 26 Dec
Radiant
Ursa Minor
Speed
33 km/s
Parent body
Comet 8P/Tuttle
Moon at peak
Peak-night moon 96% lit — washes out fainter meteors
The Ursids round out the year around the December solstice, often overlooked because they follow hard on the heels of the brilliant Geminids. Rates are modest at about 10 an hour, though rare outbursts have been recorded.
The radiant near Kochab in Ursa Minor is circumpolar from northern latitudes, so the shower is visible all night long.