However, sky-gazers may also see some signs of the meteor shower up to four hours before and after that one-hour range.

Specifically, the center (radiant) of the meteor shower is the star Beta Ursae Minoris (Kochab), which is within the constellation Ursa Minor. The meteor shower will "appear" to come from the direction where Beta Ursae Minoris is located.

A star chart of the location of the Ursids appears at: http://meteorshowersonline.com/showers/ursids.html. An interesting history of the Ursid Meteor Shower is also supplied at this site “Meteor Showers Online: Ursids.”

The Ursids are traditionally a meteor shower that takes place in a narrow band of time. A range of twelve hours is tops for seeing this shower, and this year will probably be even less.

The maximum number of meteors seen in one hour is predicted to be ten; however, one hundred an hour has been seen in the past and is possible this year.

Comet 8P/Tuttle is the source of the Ursids. The comet is moving through the inner solar system during December 2007 and January 2008. A person with binoculars or telescope could possibly see Comet 8P/Tuttle and the Ursids on the same night, an event that is not commonly available.

The discoverer of Comet 8P/Tuttle is considered to have been French astronomer Pierre François André Méchain (1744-1804), who first saw the comet in the evening sky near Omicron Piscium in January 1790. Eventually, Méchain verified his first observation about one month later.

The primary constraint this Saturday evening in order to see the meteors is a very dark sky. The appearance of the Moon will not help that darkness requirement; however, during its peak of intensity the “shooting stars” of Ursids may overcome the light coming off of the Moon.



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Astronomy  Comet  Moon  Science  William Atkins