The Last Meteor Shower of 2025 and the Winter Solstice Align This Weekend

Catch the last meteor shower of 2025, just in time for the winter solstice

By Meghan Bartels edited by Claire Cameron

Sky watchers, put on your gloves: the last meteor shower of 2025, the Ursids, will peak this weekend.

The Ursids are often overshadowed by the Geminids, which are often the most spectacular meteor shower of the year and peaked last weekend. Indeed, the Ursid meteor shower is generally rarer – offering around five to ten meteors per hour – so it’s important to catch it at its peak. This year, the peak of the Ursid shower will begin on the evening of December 21 and continue until dawn on December 22.

Meteor showers get their name from the constellation from which they appear to emanate. In the case of the Ursids, this is the Little Dipper, otherwise known as the Little Dipper. Specifically, the meteors appear to radiate from a bright orange star called Kochab, which is one of two stars that make up the outer rim of the Ursa Minor bowl.

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To try to see the Ursids, go somewhere with dark skies and be prepared to wait: your eyes will need about 30 minutes to adjust to the light. Then locate the Little Dipper to orient yourself. Move your eyes across the sky: the meteors will appear to radiate from the constellation, but they will not be limited to it. Due to Kochab’s location near the North Pole, it and the Ursids will be visible to most people in the Northern Hemisphere all night.

Ideally, the new moon will fall on December 20 and the winter solstice will occur the next day. The new moon means the sky will be dark enough for the Ursids to display. And the solstice will mark the start of astronomical winter and the longest night of the year in the northern hemisphere.

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