Starwatch: Ursids meteor shower to appear in largely dark sky

Peak of activity will be on 22 December and early risers should definitely look up

Another week, another meteor shower. Last week it was the highly reliable Geminids meteor shower, this week it is the lesser shower known as the Ursids. Whereas the Geminids were disrupted by the presence of a full moon, the Ursids will appear in a largely dark sky. Only after midnight will the moon, now progressed to its last quarter phase, appear above the horizon.

The Ursids themselves will potentially be visible from the moment darkness falls in the northern hemisphere, since their radiant is located in the constellation of Ursa Minor, near to the north celestial pole.