Wyoming’s Dark Skies Promise A Night Of Shooting Stars

Wyoming skywatchers have one last chance this year to catch a meteor shower, as the Ursids peak in the night sky just before Christmas.

The Ursid meteor shower reaches its peak late Sunday night into early Monday morning and will remain visible through Dec. 26. While it’s not as flashy as some of the year’s bigger meteor showers, experts say it’s still worth stepping outside — especially in Wyoming, where dark skies are easier to find away from town lights.

Meteor showers happen when small pieces of space debris slam into Earth’s atmosphere at high speeds and burn up, creating brief streaks of light often called “shooting stars.” While a few random meteors can be seen on most clear nights, meteor showers occur at predictable times each year as Earth passes through debris left behind by comets or asteroids.

During the Ursids’ peak, viewers can expect to see about five to 10 meteors per hour, with occasional bursts of up to 25 per hour, according to the American Meteor Society. Moonlight shouldn’t be much of a problem this time around, as the moon will be a narrow crescent.

No special equipment is needed to watch the Ursids. The best advice for Wyoming residents is to bundle up, head away from city lights, and give your eyes time to adjust to the dark.

“The darker your sky, the better the show,” astronomers say — advice that fits well with Wyoming’s wide-open spaces.

The meteors can appear anywhere in the sky, but they seem to radiate from near the Little Dipper, part of the constellation Ursa Minor. Once it’s dark, avoid bright phone screens or headlights, which can make it harder to spot the faint streaks overhead.