- In Alaska’s night sky between now and Dec. 25 is the annual Ursids meteor shower, which produces between five and 10 meteors per hour.
The Ursids is a minor meteor shower made up of debris from the comet Tuttle. This year it peaks on the night of the 21st and in the morning of the 22nd, the darkest 48-hour period of the year in Alaska, and will be seen best just after midnight and away from ambient light or aurora borealis, although the waning moon may obscure some of the fainter meteors.
The Ursids are associated with the constellation Ursa Minor, also known as the Little Dipper, which is where the shooting stars may appear to emerge. It is the final meteor shower of the year visible in the northern hemisphere.
Well, it’s always dark and cloudy this time of year, so.