The Ursid meteor shower is almost always overshadowed by the Geminids. It's even buried much deeper this year. The Geminids pretty much is a show-stealer, as well as stunning conjunctions and the great conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn. The shower fought hard to get the nickname "cursed Ursids."
The Ursids, though, is the last major meteor shower of the year, peaking on the night of Dec. 21 into the morning of Dec. 22. It's not going to produce 100 or more meteors per hour like the Geminids, but you're going to see meteors. It's still a cause for celebration if you love the night sky.
According to NASA, stargazers may see about ten meteors every hour this year. Occasionally, the Ursids have an outburst, generating a lot of meteors. That, however, is not in the prediction for this year. While the Geminids are still around, it's at the end of their activity for the year. So, you might see a few of his fireballs to liven up the show, but don't expect too many.
How to See the Ursids
The Ursids last from about Dec 17 through 26, but the peak falls on the 22nd in the morning. The American Meteor Society calls it a sharp peak because you might see meteors in the surrounding days, but it's a spectacular spike at the peak. Viewers in the northern hemisphere are advised to hunt meteors at around 1 a.m. local time according to EarthSky.
Timing ought to lend itself to good viewing. The moon will set before 1am, and there will be no disturbance that could obstruct the visibility of the meteors. As with other meteor showers, the Ursids are named after the constellation in which the radiant point lies. At the time, look for Ursa Minor high in the sky. The meteors will not be going through the radiant, but if you track them out, they will appear to have radiated out of the constellation handle.
You're going to have to get away from the city's light pollution to see the meteors. Light pollution is remarkably far away from heavily populated cities, which can obscure your ability to see meteors. With too few appearing among the Ursids, you don't want to risk all of them. However, there are places like the Light Pollution Map or the Dark Site Finder that will help you find the darkest sky around your house.
It's not the most thrilling celestial display of the year or even the month, but meteors are still exciting to spot. Plus, you're probably going out to see the conjunction anyway. You might as well stick around.
