The Taurids produce bright fireballs#
The Northern Taurids typically produce about five meteors an hour, according to NASA astronomers cited by USA Today 10Best. The shower is also known for fireballs that can be brighter than Venus, CNN reported. Those brighter meteors come from larger pieces of debris, ranging from the size of a marble to a small boulder.cnn.com+1 2 sources for this line, starting with CNN
Some fireballs leave glowing lines of ionized air molecules that fade after a few seconds, while others leave smoke trails that remain for minutes, CNN reported. The meteors appear to radiate from the constellation Taurus, although University of New Mexico research professor Mark Boslough told CNN they can appear anywhere in the sky.cnn.com 1 source for this line, starting with CNN
The Northern Taurids are active from October 20 through December 10, Yahoo reported. The outlet said their usual hourly rate doubles during the overlap with the Southern Taurids. KOCO reported that moonlight was not expected to interfere with viewing on Thursday evening.koco.com+1 2 sources for this line, starting with KOCO
- cnn.comSpot a fireball during tonight’s Northern Taurid meteor shower(opens in a new tab)
- 10best.usatoday.comLook up tonight! Northern Taurid fireballs could streak across the night sky(opens in a new tab)
- koco.comOklahomans will want to look up as they could see 2 meteor showers in a week(opens in a new tab)
- tech.yahoo.comLook out for fireballs as the Northern Taurid meteor shower reaches its peak(opens in a new tab)
The Leonids follow the Taurids#
The Leonids began on November 6 and run through November 30, Yahoo reported. They occur as Earth passes through debris left by comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle. Their radiant, the point from which the meteors appear to emerge, is near the constellation Leo.tech.yahoo.com 1 source for this line, starting with YAHOO!
Under ideal conditions, the Leonids can produce up to 15 meteors an hour, according to Yahoo. Secret Los Angeles reported that the meteors can travel at around 44 miles per second. Yahoo said heavier concentrations of comet debris can produce meteor storms in some years, but no storm was expected this year.tech.yahoo.com+1 2 sources for this line, starting with YAHOO!
Yahoo placed the Leonids' peak on the night of Monday, November 16, with viewing from midnight into the early morning. Secret Los Angeles gave a different peak window, overnight on November 17-18.tech.yahoo.com+1 2 sources for this line, starting with YAHOO!
