The Ursid Meteor Shower is a subtle but reliable annual celestial event that occurs each December around the winter solstice. It produces fewer streaks of light than more prolific meteor showers like the Geminids or Perseids, but arrives at a time of year when long nights and dark skies favor careful observers.

The Ursid meteor shower peaks on Sunday, Dec. 21, just after the solstice, with ideal viewing conditions and dark skies just after sunset.

Sky watchers may be tempted out this weekend, when an underappreciated meteor shower will coincide with a new moon and the longest night of year for the Northern Hemisphere

The Ursid meteor shower peaks Sunday night into early Monday morning, and is the last major event on the celestial calendar this year.

The Geminid meteor shower put on a dazzling cosmic firework show when it peaked overnight on Dec. 13 as shards of the solar system asteroid (3200) Phaethon collided with Earth's atmosphere, forging fiery paths that illuminated the December night sky.

From Jupiter at its bright opposition to a slew of close planetary pairings, meteor showers and spectacular eclipses, here's what to see in the night sky in 2026.