Damascus, Dec. 21(SANA) The Ursid meteor shower will reach its peak this evening, lighting up the skies across the northern hemisphere, including Syria. This annual event marks the final major meteor shower of the year.
According to Nabil al-Beesh, an advisor with the Syrian Astronomical Society, the Ursids are considered a moderate-to-light meteor shower, with an average of 10 meteors per hour. The meteors are caused by dust debris left behind by Comet 8P/Tuttle, which orbits the sun and was first discovered in 1790.
Al-Beesh pointed out that viewing the shower doesn’t require telescopes or binoculars, and it can be seen with the naked eye, provided observers are in dark areas, away from city lights, and the sky is clear.
The meteors of this shower appear to radiate from a point near the “Little Bear” constellation, close to the North Star, which is why it is named the Ursid meteor shower. The shower typically occurs from December 17 to 25, with its peak happening on the night of December 21 and the early morning hours of December 22.
The Ursid meteor shower has been a regular astronomical phenomenon for nearly a century, offering a unique opportunity for astrophotography enthusiasts to close out the year.
