Watch Out for Fireballs from the South and North Taurid Meteor Showers – Eyes On The Skies

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  The Taurids (both branches) are rich in fireballs and are often responsible for increased number of fireball reports from October through November. The Southern Taurid meteor shower peaks the night of November 4-5, 2020. The night before, or after, might be good to watch for meteors, too. The maximum hourly rate can reach 5 to 8 meteors in a dark sky. The slow bright Northern Taurids are visible in the night of November 11-12, 2020. Expect to see about 5 to 7 meteors per hour. These rather slow-moving meteors produce the greatest numbers in the few hours after midnight. The Taurids (both branches) appear to radiate from the constellation Taurus the Bull. Just be aware … you don’t need to find Taurus to watch the Taurid shower, for these meteors streak all over the sky. There is sometimes a notable increase in the fireball activity, when the two showers are active simultaneously in late October and early November. There seems to be a seven year periodicity with these fireballs. 2008 and 2015 both produced remarkable fireball activity. The Taurids are the debris of Comet 2/P Encke, visible from mid-October into December. Look in the direction of Taurus in the eastern sky. By the way, the constellation Taurus itself is full of interesting things to see, such as the Pleiades star cluster and the V-shaped Hyades cluster with bright Aldebaran in its midst.

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