Astrology

The Southern Taurid meteor shower reaches its peak overnight.

The Southern Taurid meteor shower reaches its peak overnight on November 4-5, with a chance of bright fireballs among its relatively few meteors, CNN reports. Roughly five meteors per hour appear during the annual shower, which is visible worldwide apart from the South Pole.

The meteors appear to come from the constellation Taurus, near the Pleiades star cluster, although they can cross any part of the sky, according to Yahoo. The shower takes its name from that apparent starting point.

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Taurid fireballs come from larger debris#

Meteor showers occur when Earth passes through trails of debris left by comets and asteroids. As the material enters the atmosphere, it burns up and produces a streak of light, CNN reports. The Taurids are associated with debris from Comet 2P/Encke, according to EarthSky, as cited by Yahoo.

Most material that produces meteors is the size of dust grains or pebbles, CNN reports. Fireballs come from larger pieces, ranging from marble-sized debris to small boulders. Some leave glowing lines that fade after seconds, while others produce smoke trails that remain for several minutes.

Southern Taurid meteors enter the atmosphere at about 65,000 miles per hour, slower than meteors from showers such as the Orionids, CNN reports. Their slower speed makes them visible for longer, and their glowing trails can be particularly lengthy.

A crescent moon leaves darker skies#

The waning crescent moon is 17% illuminated and rises a couple of hours before dawn, leaving much of the night dark, Yahoo reports. The American Meteor Society says that even under ideal conditions, most observers will probably see fewer than five Taurid meteors per hour.

The Southern Taurids are one of two Taurid streams. The Northern Taurids offer another chance to see bright fireballs, with their peak expected overnight on November 11-12, according to The Economic Times.

Later in November, the Leonid meteor shower reaches peak activity on the nights of November 17-18 and 18-19, BBC Sky at Night Magazine reports. Its meteors come from debris shed by comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle.

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