Meteor shower Ursids — observing times and guide
Ursids visibility on 2026-12-22
Ursids rise and set timetable
| Time | Elevation | |
| Ursids radiant is always above the horizon | ||
| Ursids radiant transit | 07:39 | 51° |
Moonrise, 86.6% illuminated  | 13:28 | 37° |
| Sunset | 15:52 | 29° |
| Civil sunset | 16:22 | 28° |
| Twilight start | 16:55 | 27° |
| Astronomical observing session begins | 17:27 | 26° |
| Ursids radiant is always above the horizon | ||
| Astronomical observing session ends | 04:45 | 47° |
| Moonset | 05:02 | 47° |
| Twilight end | 05:16 | 48° |
| Civil sunrise | 05:49 | 49° |
| Sunrise | 06:20 | 50° |
Track Ursids Position Throughout the Night
← 22 December 2026 →
| Time | |
| Altitude | |
| Azimuth |
Moon conditions for Ursids — 2026
Meteor visibility depends strongly on the Moon’s position and brightness. This chart helps identify darker observing periods.
Blue and white show night and day; red marks when the radiant is above the horizon, the white line its transit, and grey when the Moon is above the horizon. Select a date for detailed Sun and Moon times.
Observing the Ursids
Radiant position:
- Right Ascension: 14h 32m 24s"
- Declination: 76° 24' 00s
Peak activity: Active from December 12 to January 1; with peak activity around December 22.
Associated parent body: Ursids is produced by debris associated with 8P/Tuttle. Earth encounters this stream along its orbit.
Ursids — Observation history
Previous activity records show the reported start, peak and end dates. Exact dates may shift slightly from year to year.
| Year | Start date | Peak date | End date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-mm-dd | December 21 | December 21 | December 21 |
| 2009-mm-dd | December 8 | December 17 | January 2 |
| 2010-mm-dd | December 21 | December 21 | December 23 |
| 2015-08-23 | December 19 | December 23 | December 23 |
| 2022-11-16 | December 12 | December 21 | December 31 |
Use these dates as a historical guide and check current predictions near the event.
Data Credits
Meteor data are provided by the International Astronomical Union Meteor Data Center . We thank the observers and researchers who contribute these records.