The Ursids for Kids
Next peak · 52 nights to go
Night of 21–22 December 2026 · Moon 95% · Quiet
A quiet one. Look at the Moon instead.
An evening look on the longest night might catch a few an hour.
The next Ursids peak is the night of 21–22 December 2026. A bright 95% Moon up for much of the night washes out the faint ones. Verdict: quiet. A quiet one. Look at the Moon instead. At best a dark sky gives about 10 an hour, by the American Meteor Society's calendar; the Moon is from astronomy-engine.
The Ursids are a small shower near the shortest day of the year. They come from the north, near the Little Dipper.
The Ursids come from Comet Tuttle's dust and peak right around the winter solstice. They are a small shower, about ten an hour in a dark sky, and they seem to come from near the North Star.
Comet 8P/Tuttle's stream gives a modest rate, about 10 an hour at best. The radiant in Ursa Minor never sets from the United States, so the shower can be watched all night, though it is best before dawn. The Moon often spoils it, because a full Moon comes near the solstice in some years.
The Ursids' radiant is so far north it never sets for most of the United States.
Which way to look, and when
North, near the Little Dipper, which is up all night.
Best before dawn, when the radiant is highest. Active 13 to 24 December.
Where does it come from?
The Ursids are dust from Comet 8P/Tuttle. The bits hit the air at about 33 kilometers a second and glow as they burn up. The streaks seem to start from Ursa Minor, which is how the shower got its name.
Every peak in our table
| Night of 21–22 December 2026 | Quiet. A bright 95% Moon up for much of the night washes out the faint ones. |
|---|---|
| Night of 21–22 December 2027 | Quiet. A 31% Moon is up for part of the night. |
Some calendars give a peak one night either side; a shower is active for days around it, so the nights next to the peak are worth a look too.
How to watch
- Go out with a grown-up, dressed warmer than you think, with a blanket or a reclining chair.
- Put phones away and give your eyes twenty minutes to get used to the dark.
- Look up at the whole sky, not at one spot, and count every streak you see.
The shower night kit
One sheet to take outside: a box for every ten minutes, a line for the brightest one, and a tick for the clouds. Counting is the game.
The Ursids: my shower night
Peak: the night of 21–22 December 2026. Look up at the whole sky. The streaks point back to Ursa Minor. peabody.kids/space/showers/ursids
☐ Warm coat and hat ☐ Blanket or chair ☐ Grown-up ☐ Phones away for 20 minutes
| Ten minutes from | Shooting stars I counted (|||| ||) |
|---|---|
| ____ : ____ | |
| ____ : ____ | |
| ____ : ____ | |
| ____ : ____ | |
| ____ : ____ | |
| ____ : ____ |
The brightest one went from ________________ to ________________.
Clouds? ☐ none ☐ some ☐ lots · My total: ______
If the sky is clear. Peak night and rate: American Meteor Society; the Moon: astronomy-engine.
Other showers
“Don't look at one spot. Lie back and let your eyes take in the whole sky.”