The Ursids meteor shower is an annual Celestial event that happens from mid-December up until
the winter solstice. This meteor shower is a bit more low-key than the Geminids meteor shower that
precedes it in the first two weeks of December. In this video we will explore the cause of the
Ursids meteor shower, how many meteors you can expect to see, and get practice identifying Ursa
Minor the radiant for this meteor shower. Welcome to Learn the Sky my name is Janine and I'll be
your guide as we explore the night sky together one constellation at a time. The Ursids meteor
shower is active annually between December 14th and December 24th and it typically Peaks around
December 22nd and 23rd. At its peak observers can is view as many as 10 meteors per hour. In
2022 when this video is being recorded the moon phase will be a waning crescent which makes it
an ideal time to go outside and try to view some of the meteors since the Moonlight will be faint.
The Ursids is associated with a comet known as 8P/Tuttle. As comets travel around the Sun the
dust they emit generally spreads out into a long dusty trail within their own orbits. Each year the
Earth passes through these Dusty debris trails and these particles then enter our atmosphere
creating beautiful streaks across the sky. The comet known as 8P/Tuttle is a periodic comet
that orbits the Sun every 13.6 years and it's classified as a Jupiter family Comet since its
orbital period is less than 20 years. The closest this Comet gets to the Sun is around the same
distance as the planet Earth and it travels out as far as the planet Saturn. The comet
8P/Tuttle last visited the inner solar system in August of 2021 and here you can see that's
a picture of what comet AP total looks like, and this right here is the spiral galaxy known as M33.
Meteors are objects that glow due to friction while traveling through the Earth's atmosphere
and they appear as a streak of light in the sky, but they are often very small
and no larger than a grain of sand. Here you can see what a meteor looks like from the
International Space Station. It's entering the atmosphere and it begins to burn up.
Before a meteor burns up in the atmosphere it's classified as a meteoroid, a small rocky body in
space. As it passes through the atmosphere its classification changes into a meteor
and finally when the meteor strikes the surface of the Earth it becomes a meteorite.
Meteor showers are celestial events that occur when the Earth passes through cosmic dust and
debris left over by either comets or asteroids. They are often named after the place they appear
to originate from in the sky. For example the Ursids appear to originate from the constellation
Ursa Minor. This is a photo of a meteor shower taken over the course of a few hours, and you
can tell it was taken during this time because you can trace the streaks of light back to one origin
point in the sky. Because all meteor showers are traveling in parallel paths at the same velocity
they will appear to an observer below to radiate from a single point in the sky. This effect is best
seen in photos rather than when you're observing, and when you observed meteors they will appear
randomly in the sky, but if you photograph them the streaks of light can be traced back to a common
origin point and we call this point the radiant. Meteor showers are named after the radian and in
the case of the Ursids the meteors were appear to originate from Ursa Minor. This radiant point
is caused by the effect of perspective. It's similar to parallel railroad tracks converging
at a single vanishing point on the horizon when viewed from the middle of the tracks.
In the last portion of this video we'll review over the pattern of Ursa Minor and remember as
You observe in a meteor shower they will appear randomly in the sky, so you don't necessarily
need to look at Ursa Minor however I'm going to take any opportunity I can to teach about
constellations so and especially if a meteor shower will help you to get outside and view the
stars it's a win-win for me. So as you're looking at this picture you can probably notice the three
brightest stars and from there are you able to point out the pattern of Ursa Minor? Here is what
it looks like in the sky, and the best way to find Ursa Minor is to use Ursa Major, and specifically
the asterism known as the Big Dipper which is a smaller part of the larger constellation Ursa
Major. You want to use the pointer stars in the Big Dipper to point you towards Polaris, and from there
you can find where Ursa Minor is. You can also use Cassiopeia and that Center star. Use it like an
arrow to point you towards Polaris, and Ursa Minor is represented as the little bear and it is a very
important constellation because it aims you in the direction of North. In fact this star Right
Here is known as Polaris and it's the star that appears to never move in the sky, and the best way
to find it again is to use the Big Dipper asterism. You want to use the pointer stars to point you
towards Polaris, and I have a very detailed video on Ursa Minor as well as Ursa Major and Polaris.
So if you want to learn more about that be sure to go see that video. So I hope this video was helpful
for you to learn about the Ursids, why we see them, when we can see them, and at its peak you can see
up to 10 meteors per hour. You may need to bundle up because it may be cold out there. So thank you
so much for watching I hope the weather treats you well and you have clear skies and that you can see
the meteor shower known as the Ursids. Thank you so much for watching and as always keep looking up!