Astrology

The Southern Taurid meteor shower reaches its peak in early November.

The Southern Taurid meteor shower reaches its peak overnight on November 4 to 5, WJHL reports. The annual display produces relatively few meteors, but it is known for occasional fireballs, exceptionally bright meteors that can light up the sky for several seconds.

Under ideal conditions, the Southern Taurids typically produce around five meteors an hour, according to WJHL. The waning crescent moon is approaching a new moon on November 9, leaving less moonlight to obscure faint objects in the night sky.

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The Taurids have two branches#

The Southern Taurids are active from September 20 through November 20, Vietnam.vn reports. Their meteors come from debris left by comet 2P/Encke. When particles enter Earth's atmosphere, they heat up and glow, producing the streaks commonly called shooting stars.

The Northern Taurids peak on November 11 to 12, according to Phoenix New Times. The two showers take their names from points near the constellation Taurus, where their meteors appear to originate. Both are known for slow-moving meteors and bright fireballs.

Randy Enkin, past president of the Victoria Centre of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, told CHEK News that Taurid particles can be pebble-sized rather than dust-sized. He said most observers see fewer than the roughly five meteors per hour possible under ideal conditions.

The Leonids peak later in November#

The Leonid meteor shower is active from November 3 to December 2, BBC Sky at Night Magazine reports. It comes from debris along the orbit of comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle. The shower takes its name from Leo, where its radiant, the point from which its meteors appear to originate, is located.

The Leonids' peak is forecast to center on 01:00 UT on November 18, according to BBC Sky at Night Magazine. Its forecast rate of around 15 meteors per hour is a theoretical figure for perfect conditions; the magazine says the actual number seen will be lower.

BBC Sky at Night Magazine reports that, around midnight on the Leonids' peak night, the moon will have set, so lunar glare will not interfere with peak viewing time. The magazine says the next Leonid meteor storms are expected in 2033 and 2034.

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