Fresh off the peak of the Orionid Meteor Shower in October, we have yet another shower peaking over the next week. Actually, it’s two meteor showers, the Northern and Southern Taurid Meteor Showers.
The showers have actually been going on since early October and will run into early December, but the peaks will occur this week. One will occur on Wednesday, November 5th, and the second will occur on Sunday, November 9th.
The origins of the two meteor showers are a little fuzzy, but they are believed to be related to Comet Encke and its ties to several asteroids. All of these celestial objects may have come from a much larger source that broke up about 20,000 years ago.
This year, the timing of the peak isn’t ideal, and it has nothing to do with the weather. The full Beaver Moon will tend to wash out most of the visible meteors. But don’t let that stop you from trying. The Taurids are known for fireballs, larger and slower meteors that will have an easier time standing out in a moonlit sky.
The meteor showers are named for the location of their radiant, the spot where the shooting stars appear to emanate from. That happens to be near the constellation Taurus…