Taurid meteor showers peak a week apart in November

WASHINGTON (AP) — There are two sister meteor showers while blinking in the night sky – and will peak a week apart.

The Southern Taurids will peak early Tuesday morning and the Northern Taurids on November 12.

While the two showers produce only about five visible meteors per hour under ideal viewing conditions, they are often very bright fireballs, says Sally Brummel, planetarium manager at the University of Minnesota’s Bell Museum.

“What’s notable is that they will probably produce brighter and longer-lasting meteors than some other showers, even if there aren’t that many at once,” she said.

The Southern Taurids reach their peak on an evening with only a thin crescent moon that is only 11% full. The northern Taurids may be more affected by moonlight as the moon will be 79% full.

Viewing of both showers will last until December. Here’s what you need to know about the Taurids and other meteor showers.

What is a meteor shower?

Several meteor showers occur every year and you don’t need any special equipment to see them.

Most meteor showers form from the debris of comets. Both showers share the same source: from the debris of Comet Encke.

When rocks from space enter the Earth’s atmosphere, they become very hot due to the resistance of the air. This causes the air around them to glow and briefly leaves a fiery tail – the end of a ‘shooting star’.

The glowing pockets of air around fast-moving space rocks, ranging from the size of a dust particle to a boulder, can be visible in the night sky.

The two showers have the same name because, when viewed in the night sky, they appear to originate from different points in the constellation Taurus.

How to watch a meteor shower

Meteor showers are usually most visible between midnight and sunrise.

It’s easier to see shooting stars under a dark sky, far away from city lights. Meteor showers also appear brightest on cloudless nights, when the moon is at its smallest.

And your eyes will be better adapted to seeing meteors if you don’t check your phone.

When is the next meteor shower?

Not long after the Taurids, the next major meteor shower, the Leonids, will peak in the early morning of November 17.

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