The Taurid meteor shower, an impressive yearly event, is back. And it's a shooting star spectacle split in two. The first half of the shower, the Southern Taurids, occurred back in September. But if you missed that, don't worry – the Northern Taurids are here!
This event is known for its bright and impressive fireball meteors that light up the sky. Read on to see to exactly how to watch the Taurid meteor shower – and learn a little bit more about their origins.
When is the Taurid meteor shower 2024?
The Northern Taurids will reach their peak on the night of 11 November 2024 in the UK, US and the rest of the world. This is when the most number of fireball shooting stars will be visible.
In 2024, the Northern Taurids will be active between 20 October and 10 December. The further you try and view the shower from its peak time, the fewer shooting stars you'll be able to see.
Where to look to see a fireball
You'll be able to see Taurid meteors streaking across the entire sky, so try to take in as much of it as possible – lying on the ground looking up can help here.
While Taurid shooting stars will appear across a wide area, they will all appear to originate from the same spot, the constellation Taurus the Bull (that's how the shower gets its name).
Taurus is a large constellation that is visible during the winter months. To locate it, simply look towards the constellation Orion. This is easily identifiable by the three bright stars that make up Orion’s Belt.
If you were to create a line between the three stars and look upwards and towards the right of this line, you’ll hit Aldebaran. This is the brightest star in the constellation and the best area to look for the meteor shower.
To make spotting Taurus easier, using an app will point you in the right direction (check our best astronomy apps to get started).
During the shower's peak, it is best to watch from an area with little to no light pollution. If it is a cloud-free night with good conditions, this will increase your chances of spotting the meteors.
How many meteors will you be able to see?
Sadly, most years the Taurid meteor shower is quite weak. This means that you’ll likely only see a few meteors each night – only five an hour in perfect conditions. However, this can change, and there have been more fruitful Taurid meteor showers in the past.
Fortunately, the Taurids have an unusually high percentage of fireballs. Fireball meteors are noticeably bright meteors that burn up as they enter Earth’s atmosphere. This creates a dramatic streak of light.
These are a very rare experience, especially as they happen quite quickly. Watching the Taurid meteor shower is a betting game. Each night, there could be a few small meteors, or there could be a sea of fireballs.
What causes the Taurid meteor shower to happen?
Like other meteor showers, the Taurids originate from a comet. In this case, they have come from the relatively small Comet Encke. While the Southern Taurids come from Encke itself, the northern variation is believed to come from an offshoot of Encke known as 2004 TG10.
When we witness the Northern Taurids, it is because Earth is passing through the remnants of the asteroid 2004 TG10.
It has been theorised that Comet Encke is actually a fragment of another even larger comet that broke up 20,000 to 30,000 years ago.
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