The meteor shower overlaps the winter solstice, the longest night of the year.

Stargazers in the northern hemisphere are in for an out-of-this-world holiday light show this weekend. The Ursids, the final meteor shower of 2024, will peak on Saturday night through the early morning hours on Sunday. Not as active as their predecessor the Geminids, which peaked over a week before, the Ursids are often overlooked due to their lower hourly rate, according to EarthSky. However, they've recently gained popularity among sky observers due to potential outbursts.

Under ideal viewing conditions, the Ursids can produce up to 10 meteors per hour around their peak. However, viewers sometimes witness outbursts of up to 25 meteors per hour. In 1945 and 1986, the Ursids unexpectedly produced around 100 meteors per hour, and some 30 meteors per hour in 1973, according to EarthSky.

The Ursids' peak coincides with the winter solstice on Saturday, marking the beginning of winter in the northern hemisphere. It's also the longest night of the year. Most meteor showers are caused by the debris of a comet or asteroid that once crossed paths with Earth. The Ursids come from the debris left behind by comet 8P/Tuttle, which last visited the inner solar system in 2021.

Their radiant, or point of origin in the sky, is from the constellation Ursa Minor, commonly known as the Little Dipper. Throughout the night, the constellation will remain above the horizon, with shooting stars streaking out from the area in all directions. Unfortunately, the last quarter moon will rise around midnight, meaning fainter meteors will be obscured.

The next major meteor shower, the Quadrantids, will peak on Jan. 3, 2025. It's named for the now-defunct constellation of Quadrans Muralis and is known to produce bright fireballs.