Missed the Geminids peak? Here's one more meteor shower to catch from Sacramento before Christmas
Sky-gazers had the chance to see dozens of meteors streaking across the sky as the yearly Geminid meteor shower reached its crescendo Thursday morning.
For those that missed it, the Ursids meteor shower — which is the last major meteor shower annually — will soar across the Northern Hemisphere sky ahead of Christmas.
What to expect with the Ursids
The Ursids showers are active from December 13 through Christmas Eve (December 24), according to the American Meteor Society. It will reach its peak on December 21 through the night of December 22.
The Ursids aren't as much of a star-studded affair as the Geminds shower typically is. According to the American Meteor Society, sky-glazers typically see around 5-10 meteors – occasionally more – per hour "during the late morning hours on the date of maximum activity," and is only viewable in the Northern Hemisphere.
The velocity of the Ursids is around 20.5 miles per hour. The moon will be about three-quarters full during the peak.
The parent comet of the Ursids is 8P/Tuttle, which was discovered on January 9, 1790, from Paris, France, according to Earth Sky. Whereas the Geminids meteor showers are typically brighter, 8P/Tuttle and its debris that make up the Ursids are usually much less intense.
Given the time of year, the weather can also make it more difficult to see.
The Geminids peaked Thursday at 11:27 a.m. PT, according to EarthSky. The best time to view the celestial display was in the lead-up early that morning between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. in any time zone, said Robert Lunsford, fireball report coordinator for the American Meteor Society.
The Geminids have been spotted racing across the sky since November and have appeared to increase in number as Earth approaches the core of the 3200 Phaethon debris cloud.