It's a night of extremes tonight, as one of the biggest meteor showers of the year is set to coincide with the winter solstice.
The Ursid meteor shower will be visible on the longest night of the year tonight, with lucky viewers in with the chance of catching a glorious display of shooting stars.
At its peak, up to 10 shooting stars are expected per hour as they smash into the earth's atmosphere and leave trails of light in their wake as they burn up over our planet.
The shower is expected to brighten the night's sky and should be visible to people around the world.
When is the best time to see the Ursid meteor shower?
The shower is expected to peak on the night December 21, 2021, although it takes place from December 17 to 26. For the absolute peak, head out in the early hours of December 22 when it's nice and dark - there will be plenty because of the solstice.
The spectacle is expected to be visible through until Christmas Eve, but the rate meteors will be visible will slow as that time approaches.
The shower will be visible next year too, as the earth passes once again through the debris of the comet known as Tuttle.
How to see the Ursid meteor shower
For the best chance of catching a glimpse and earning the opportunity to make a wish, it is advised stargazers get as far away from light sources as possible.
If you can, get as far away from urban settings and any kind of man-made light source - you shouldn't need any special equipment to spot the shower although telescopes and binoculars certainly won't hurt.
The moon, which is large at the moment due to the December Cold Moon, may cause problems for some viewers.
Why is it called the Ursid meteor shower?
The spectacle gets its name from the position in which it can be seen in the sky: The meteors appear near the Ursa Minor, or Little Bear, star constellation in the northern hemisphere.
Showers often get their name from the point their radiant point, as is the case here.
Although the rocks will break up in the earth atmosphere, it isn't the rocks themselves that cause the glowing trail behind them.
NASA says: “A meteor is a space rock – or meteoroid – that enters Earth’s atmosphere.
“As the space rock falls toward Earth, the resistance – or drag – of the air on the rock makes it extremely hot. What we see is a ‘shooting star’. That bright streak is not actually the rock, but rather the glowing hot air as the hot rock zips through the atmosphere.”
When is the next meteor shower?
The Quadrantids meteor shower will be visible from December 26 2021 and January 16 2022. It is a much shorter event, with the peak only expected for six hours on January 2.
Despite needing clearer skies to spot the Quadrantids, up to 25 meteors an hour could be seen if you manage to find the right spot.
