When To Spot Ursid Meteors In St. Charles

ST. CHARLES, IL — The darkest day of the year is upon us, which means the winter solstice is just days away in St. Charles.

The celestial holiday celebrated through the ages as the beginning of light arrives in St. Charles on Dec. 21 at 9:59 a.m. If you’re not a fan of daylight, you’re in luck — we’ll see only nine hours and 5 minutes of sunlight on the first day of winter.

For anyone hoping to stretch their winter solstice revelry into the evening hours — or into the next day, perhaps — here’s a bonus: The Ursid meteor shower is likely to peak the morning of Dec. 22.

The annual Ursid meteor shower, which runs from Dec. 17-26 each year, is a minor meteor shower with only five to 10 shooting stars an hour. Still, a nearly moonless sky translates into excellent viewing conditions in St. Charles, depending on the weather.

Ursid meteors radiate most near the star Kochab in the Little Dipper, according to EarthSky.org. The star Polaris — or the North Star — is also part of the Little Dipper. If you can’t find the Little Dipper, use the Big Dipper. No matter what time of year you look, the two outer stars in the Big Dipper’s bowl always point to Polaris, marking the end of the Little Dipper’s handle.

The solstice isn’t something you see but rather something that occurs — though you may want to mark the 2021 solstice by taking a picture of your shadow at noon. Because the sun is at its lowest arc across the horizon, it casts long shadows. Shadows at noontime on the day of the winter solstice will be the longest of the year.