MIAMI.- To bid farewell to 2023, one of the most important astronomical spectacles at the end of the year is expected, the last brilliant meteor shower of the Ursids, which will dazzle the sky in all its splendor during the night of December 22 to 23.
The Ursids are not as visible and well-known, because they occur between two meteor showers with a much higher activity rate, that of the Geminids, which reached their maximum on December 17, and that of the Quadrantids, which They reach their maximum two weeks after the ursids.
The Geminids, who gave way to the Ursids, are considered by many astronomers to be the queen of meteor showers. It has a Zenital Hourly Rate of 150 meteorites per hour, making it one of the most intense of the year. As their name suggests, they appear above the constellation of Gemini.
All the shooting stars of the Ursids come from a point of radiant origin close to the star Kocab, located in the constellation of the Ursa Minor (Little Bear) to which it owes its name.
What are the Ursids?
The Ursid meteors are fragments that come from comet 8P/Tuttle, discovered in 1858.
This meteor shower is considered one of the weakest, and occurs every year in the month of December, because the Earth passes through a ring populated with the remains of this comet, in previous passes near the sun.
“When one of these fragments or meteoroids comes into contact with the Earth’s atmosphere, it vaporizes due to friction with the air, thus creating the luminous glow that we know as a meteor or shooting star,” explained the National Astronomical Observatory (OAN, its acronym in Spanish). English).
Unlike other meteor showers, the Ursids are not as active; they can register between 10 and 50 meteors per hour with a speed of about 33 kilometers per second, according to OAN calculations.
When can we see the last meteor shower of the year?
The Ursid meteor shower will be visible in the northern hemisphere between December 17 and 26. Its activity rate is modest, between 10 and 50 meteors per hour, with a speed of about 33 kilometers per second.
Its peak will occur two days before the full Moon on December 27, so visibility conditions will not be the best. The Moon will set around 3 am local time, allowing it to be observed for about 3 hours in the dark sky before dawn.
How to see the ursids?
The best time to observe the rain will be from midnight to dawn, when the Moon disappears over the horizon, according to scientists. However, some meteors will be seen earlier in the afternoon.
Although the ursids come from the constellation Ursa Minor, they can be seen anywhere in the sky. The Ursid radiant is above the horizon throughout the night.
Experts recommend staying away from light pollution, as it can significantly affect our vision. Then you should direct your eyes in the opposite direction to the Moon, so that your eyes become accustomed to the darkness and can appreciate the last meteor shower of 2023.
Throughout the year there are ten important meteor showers, among which the Perseids and Leonids stand out. For the first time in the years 36 and 902. Not all of them last the same nor do they have the same number of asteroids.
@Lydr05
Source: With information from the National Astronomical Observatory (OAN) and El Confidencial
