Early November ushers in a skywatching bonanza, with three active meteor showers offering the chance to see shooting stars light up the night sky.
The Southern Taurids meteor shower is expected to reach its peak overnight from Monday into Tuesday. A week later, the Northern Taurids are projected to peak from Nov. 11 to 12. Both showers tend to produce around five slow-moving meteors per hour — and more on days when the two overlap — under clear conditions and dark skies, according to the American Meteor Society.
At the same time, the last of the Orionid meteor shower should still be visible, following its peak on Oct. 20. Orionid meteors appear to stream from the constellation of Orion and can be seen until Nov. 22, according to EarthSky, a website devoted to skywatching and astronomy.
The Southern and Northern Taurids, meanwhile, are both long-lasting meteor showers, with peaks that are less clearly defined than some other shooting star shows. The two showers tend to be steadily visible in September, October and November (weather permitting), though are typically easiest to spot in early November.
The Taurids meteor showers get their name because the shooting stars appear to stream from a point in the sky where the Taurus constellation is located. Taurid meteors can be seen from pretty much anywhere on the planet except the South Pole.
The best chance of seeing the Taurids, according to EarthSky, could be at around midnight on or around Nov. 5, when bright moonlight won’t wash out the shooting stars. After midnight, the constellation Taurus will be highest in the sky, which also increases the chance of seeing shooting stars.
In addition to regular shooting stars, the Taurids also tend to produce extremely bright and sometimes colorful meteors known as “fireballs.”
As with any skywatching event, it’s best to choose a viewing spot well away from streetlights or other forms of light pollution.
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If you miss the Taurids during the first two weeks of November, it’s still possible to see them throughout this month whenever the constellation Taurus is above the horizon.
By mid-month, yet another meteor shower will be taking hold: the Leonids.
The annual Leonid meteor shower will peak late on Nov. 17 until dawn on Nov. 18. While not the most active meteor shower of the year, the Leonids can produce up to 15 shooting stars per hour under clear conditions.
The meteors will be visible in both the Northern and the Southern Hemispheres, and they often appear to stream in all directions from the constellation Leo.
The Leonids are usually bright, fast-moving meteors and the shooting stars can look colorful, according to NASA.
Meteors, or shooting stars, occur when small bits of debris in space burn up in Earth’s atmosphere. The Orionid, Taurid and Leonid meteors are all produced when the planet passes through clouds of dust particles and debris left behind by comets.