Ursid Meteor Shower to Peak on December 21-22

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Ursid meteor shower is expected to peak on the night of December 21–22, 2025, offering skywatchers in the Northern Hemisphere a chance to observe shooting stars during the longest night of the year.

According to a report by Live Science, the Ursids, which are active from December 13 to 26, reach their peak around the winter solstice. This year, the solstice occurs on December 21 at 10:03 AM Eastern Standard Time (or 10:03 PM in Indonesia’s Western Indonesia Time), creating favorable conditions for meteor observation.

Although the Ursids are considered a minor annual meteor shower and are often overshadowed by larger displays earlier in the year, viewing conditions in 2025 are expected to be unusually good. The peak follows shortly after the new moon on December 19, when moonlight is minimal.

On the night of December 21, the moon will appear only as a thin crescent, illuminating about two percent of the sky after sunset, allowing for darker viewing conditions.

The American Meteor Society estimates that the Ursid meteor shower typically produces around five to 10 meteors per hour.

However, occasional outbursts have been recorded, with rates exceeding 25 meteors per hour. In rare cases, such as in 1945 and 1986, activity reportedly surged to nearly 100 meteors per hour, according to EarthSky.

The Ursids can be observed throughout the night, but the best viewing window is expected in the pre-dawn hours of December 22, when the shower’s radiant point appears highest in the sky.

The meteors seem to originate from the star Kochab in the Ursa Minor constellation. The phenomenon is largely not visible from the Southern Hemisphere.

The meteor shower is caused by Earth passing through debris left behind by Comet 8P/Tuttle, which orbits the Sun approximately every 13.5 years.

Following the Ursids, the next major meteor event will be the Quadrantid shower, expected to peak on January 2–3, 2026. While the Quadrantids can produce up to 120 meteors per hour, visibility may be hampered by the bright light of January’s full moon, commonly known as the Wolf Moon.

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