(NewsNation) — The annual Ursid meteor shower peaked on Friday but you can see a show in the sky all week.
The meteor shower runs from Dec. 17-24 every year. It always peaks around the December solstice, which this year falls on Dec. 21.
Earthsky.org reports the Ursid meteor shower usually offers about five to 10 meteors an hour. In rare instances, you can see bursts of more than 100 an hour.
You can find out how clear it will be at night by checking out the Cloud Coverage forecast.
Meteor showers occur when the Earth passes through streams of debris left behind in the wake of comets and asteroids. In-the-sky.org says shooting stars are seen whenever one of these pieces of debris collides with the Earth’s atmosphere.
If you’re looking for the optimal viewing experience, In-the-sky.org has a suggestion:
“To see the most meteors, the best place to look is not directly at the radiant itself, but at any dark patch of sky which is around 30–40° away from it. It is at around this distance from the radiant that the most meteors will be seen.”
