Ursid meteor shower

The Ursid is a little-known meteor shower that peaks just before Christmas each year. It occurs as Earth moves through a stream of dust and debris left in the wake of comet 8/P Tuttle. Tuttle is a periodic comet that completes an eliptical orbit around the sun once every 13.5 years.

This meteor shower is less prolific than the more popular Geminids and Perseids. On an average year, the Ursids are responsible for as many as 40 to 70 meteors per hour, according to NASA.

If you are determined to catch an Ursid in person, start by dressing warmly. Then head to the darkest sky you can find, and you might choose to look to the north. Although the Ursids are visible across the entire sky, they appear to originate from the area around the Little Dipper. They get their name from the constellation Ursa Minor.

http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-ursid-meteor-shower-peaks-this-weekend-watch-it-live-right-here-20131220,0,772731.story#ixzz2oEN3H1q2