The meteor shower, known for its cascade of bright fireballs, is set to reach its peak activity over the next few days, giving stargazers the ideal opportunity to catch a glimpse of the mesmerizing spectacle.
The Northern and Southern Taurid meteor showers are visible for several weeks a year each fall as Earth passes through the stream of debris left behind by Comet Encke. November is the most active time for meteors produced by both branches of the Taurid meteor shower, and the Southern Taurid meteor shower begins this weekend.
Here’s what you need to know about the South Taurid meteor shower and its upcoming peak.
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When can you see the Southern Taurid meteor shower?
Taurid meteors can be seen when Taurus is above the horizon between September and November. According to NASA.
Lasting several weeks, the Taurid meteor shower tends to be more visible and slower-moving than other meteor showers, such as the Orionids and the Perseids.
Even at their peak, neither the south nor the north branches of the Taurid meteor shower occur particularly frequently, producing only about five meteors per hour. However, the meteors they produce are notoriously large and bright, and their simultaneous activity increases fireball activity. According to the American Weather Association.
The Southern Taurid meteor shower will be active from September 23 to December 8, but astronomers expect the celestial light show to be best visible on Sunday and Monday.
The northern constellation Taurus is active from October 13th to December 2nd, then peaks around November 11th and November 12th.
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How to observe the Taurid meteor shower
Coming from approximately the direction of the constellation Taurus, Taurus can be seen almost anywhere on Earth except for the South Pole.
The best times to see activity tend to be after midnight and before dawn. This is when the moon is out of the way and Taurus, the radiant point of the shower, is high in the sky. According to EarthSkya website dedicated to astronomy and earth sciences.
Located northeast of Orion, the constellation Taurus can be identified by spotting the bright red star known as. aldebaran And the Pleiades star cluster. And as long as stargazers are in a dark place, they don’t need equipment like telescopes or binoculars to catch a glimpse of the celestial light show.
“As with all astronomy, looking for meteors is a waiting game, so it’s best to have a comfy chair and wrap up warm, as you might be out for a while.” According to the Royal Museums Greenwich (RMG).
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What causes the Taurid meteor shower?
Meteors, commonly called shooting stars, are created when debris enters Earth’s atmosphere and burns up. The resulting meteor shower occurs as Earth moves through a cloud of comet debris.
Astronomers believe that the meteors produced by both streams of the Taurid meteor shower are debris left behind by Earth. Comet Encke.
Comet Encke, discovered in 1786 by French astronomer Pierre F. Méchain, was named after the German astronomer Johann Franz Encke, who calculated its orbit, according to NASA.
Thought by some astronomers to be part of a larger comet that broke up tens of thousands of years ago, Encke has the shortest orbital period of any known comet in the solar system, completing one orbit around the sun. It will take 3.3 years to do so.
Each time Comet Encke returns to the inner solar system, its relatively small core ejects ice and rock into space, creating a vast stream of debris.
The debris stream is distributed over a very large space, so it would take a long time for the Earth to pass through it. According to RMG, this is why two parts of the same debris cloud can be seen: Northern Taurus and Southern Taurus.
Eric Lagatta covers the latest and trending news for USA TODAY. Please contact elagatta@gannett.com.
