Skygazers are in for a treat Monday night as the North Taurid meteor showers peak, offering viewers a chance to see some bright streaks across the night sky.
The North and South Taurids are meteor showers that come from the breakup of a large comet about 10,000 years ago, says Bill Cooke, head of NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. South Taurids are debris from Comet Encke, the largest object from the breakup, and North Taurids are debris from asteroid 2004TG10, Cooke says.
They can be very bright, which is why they are often called “fireballs,” and can be seen during September, October, and November, according to NASA. The number of visible Taurid meteors can vary each year.
“2024 is a normal year for the Taurids, so rates will be very low, less than 5 meteors per hour,” Cooke says about tonight’s peak activity.
North Taurids are active from Oct. 20 to Dec. 10 and South Taurids are active from late September to late November, he says.
How can I see it?
The showers will be visible across all of the U.S. depending on the weather where you live, and all you have to do is look up. Using your unaided eyesight will give you the best chance to see the meteors.
“You just want to use your eyes for meteor observing so you take in as much of the sky as possible,” Cooke says. “Binoculars restrict the field of view and are not helpful for meteor observing.”
North and South Taurids can be seen where the zodiac constellation Taurus is located in the sky. The moon will be 79% full and the best chances to see it will be after midnight, according to the American Meteor Society.