The “Spooky" Halloween asteroid isn’t the only cosmic firework show coming this month. The South and North Taurid meteor shower is also expected to hit our skies during the last week of October and the first two weeks of November. The South’s Taurid meteor shower’s peak of activity is expected on November 5 and 6. However, if you miss it, the North’s is expected November 11 and 12.
The shower is the result of Earth passing through the stream of debris left behind from Comet Encke. Dust from the comet hits our atmosphere at 105,000 kilometers (65,000 miles) per hour. Most years the shower is fairly weak, but once every decade or show they put on a great show. Astronomers have predicted this year will be one of those years. The Moon will also be a very slim crescent around November 5, meaning the moonlight shouldn’t drown out the weaker meteors.
“The annual Taurid meteor shower is going on right now, and we are seeing steady activity in our meteor cameras,” said Bill Cooke, lead for the NASA Meteoroid Environments Office, on the NASA blog. “Individuals should not be surprised if they see a bright meteor or fireball over the next few nights.”
The meteor shower is called “Taurids” because they are located near the constellation Taurus. The best time to see them light up the night sky is after midnight, when Taurus is high in the sky. The North Taurids will mostly be located above the constellation, and vice versa for the South. The constellation will be visible towards the South-East in the sky.
