RIA Novosti reports on where and when residents of Moscow and the Moscow region will be able to see the last Ursid meteor shower of 2024.
What is the Ursid meteor shower and what does it look like?
The Ursids are a meteor shower that is usually visible in the Earth's sky from December 17 to 25. The "parent" celestial body of the Ursids is comet 8P/Tuttle, which completes its elliptical orbit in 13.6 years. When approaching the Sun, it loses some of its matter, which remains in orbit. Every year in the second half of December, the Earth passes through small fragments of the comet's matter, which is why we see the Ursid meteor shower. The last time Comet Tuttle flew past the Earth was in 2021, and the next approach, according to scientists, will occur in 2035.
The radiant of the meteor shower (the area in the sky from which chile mobile database the observer believes the meteors are flying) is located in the constellation Ursa Minor, which is why the shower is called the Ursids, from the Latin word Ursus, which means bear.
Where and when to see the Ursid meteor shower in December 2024
Since the Ursid meteor shower visually “originates” from the constellation Ursa Minor, only residents of the northern hemisphere will be able to see the “shooting stars”.
The peak activity of the meteor shower through the Earth's atmosphere, according to scientists' calculations, will occur on the night of December 21-22, 2024. Usually, the intensity of the Ursids is not very high; about 10 meteors can be seen per hour. However, this is not always the case: in 1945, for example, at the peak of activity, up to 169 meteors per hour could be observed.
How to Watch December's Ursid Meteor Shower
Astronomers recommend finding a place away from city lights and positioning yourself so that the waning moon is hidden by some object - a tree or tall bush. You can admire the meteor shower throughout the night, but the best time for observation is closer to the morning: at this time, Ursa Minor is high in the night sky.
Meteor showers are observed with the naked eye. The Moscow Planetarium reported that in 2024, conditions for observation will not be the most favorable - the light of the Moon will interfere. But outside the capital, it will be possible to see the shower, provided the weather is clear.