The Ursids is a minor meteor shower producing about 5-10 meteors per hour. It is produced by dust grains left behind by comet Tuttle, which was first discovered in 1790. Tuttle goes around the sun every 13.6 years and provides the debris field that creates the meteor shower. The Ursids were first recorded in England in 1900 and also spotted in Germany in the following decades. The shower runs annually from December 17-25. It peaks this year on the night of the 21st and morning of the 22nd.
This year, the nearly new moon will leave dark skies for what should be a really good show. Best viewing will be just after midnight from a dark location far away from city lights. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Ursa Minor, but can appear anywhere in the sky.
Irene W. Pennington Planetarium 