Best time to see the beautiful Ursid Christmas meteor shower TONIGHT – don’t miss it

YOU could see the Ursid meteor shower tonight – and maybe even spot some on Christmas Day.

The annual winter space event is visible from Earth and is a great chance to spot a glowing ball of fire soaring through the sky.

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What is the Ursid meteor shower?

Ursids are meteors that appear in the sky in mid to late December.

It is named for the “shine” – or origin in the sky – near Uranus’s star Beta Ursae Minoris.

The shower is actually debris left by comet 8P/Tuttle – a two-part binary “peanut” comet, about 4.5km across.

It was an object to the naked eye in 2008 when it came exceptionally close to Earth and is most commonly known for creating the Ursids.

The Ursid meteor shower is one of the less impressive meteor showers, with a relatively small number of meteors.

But you will have a chance to see a meteor tonight if you are lucky.

When to see the Ursid meteor shower

Meteor showers usually have the best visibility for a week or so.

And there’s always a “peak,” which is when you have the best chance of seeing it.

For the Ursids, the peak is December 21 and 22, where you can see a few shooting stars every hour.

That means you should be able to get a good show tonight, if you have clear skies.

As we near the end of the peak period, your best chance of seeing showers is earlier tonight, when it’s completely dark.

Remember: they can appear from anywhere in the sky.

In terms of improving your chances, make sure you’re somewhere low visibility.

That means you’ll have more sky to see – so consider a large area of ​​land or perched high up in the hills.

You’ll want to avoid light pollution, so trying to spot them in central London or Manhattan isn’t ideal.

And you’ll want to give your eyes time to adjust to the dark.

Sadly, you can still be hit by bad weather – so make sure you check the forecast before heading into the frigid night.

And consider bringing a pair of binoculars or a small telescope to get a better view of the night sky.

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