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The Taurides annual meteoric rain is about to kick off at one of the busiest time-watching periods of the year for "ball hunters" of fire".
The Taurides are actually two streams of cosmic debris, originally quite close to each other, which have been separated by the gravitational forces of various planets (notably the mbadive Jupiter) of our solar system for many years while they were jostling around our sun.
This debris was the result of dust and rocks projected by the Comet 2P / Encke and Asteroid 2004 TG10 periodicals. The resulting meteor showers when the debris fields cross the Earth are called Southern Taurids and Northern Taurids (so named because observers in the southern and northern hemispheres will experience different peak times, although both "shooting stars" visible in both hemispheres).
The two taurid showers produce meteors just before Halloween and the first week of December. Therefore, if the sky is cloudy or the moon offers too much light for a few days, you might be lucky a few days later, while conditions are more favorable for observation. . (The moon should not provide much competition this year.)
Taurides are not known to produce many meteors – certainly not the "swarms" sometimes badociated with more known showers such as Geminids or Perseids, known to deliver more than 100 meteors at the time – but they are known to produce a much higher percentage of "fireballs" than most showers. Fireballs generally burn much harder than most meteors, often last longer and drag in the sky for longer distances, and sometimes shine in different colors or even leave "traces" hanging in the air. atmosphere.
Although the southern Taurids peaked in the southern hemisphere a few weeks ago, their height will reach here on November 5th. Predict about five to ten meteors per hour that seem to radiate from the constellation Taurus (from which the Taurides leave). the western sky just before dawn, although fireballs can be spotted at any time after midnight and in any area of the sky. Just let your eyes take 30 minutes to adjust and see the dark area, away from bright lights, street lights, etc.
Northern Taurids will peak in the night of November 11-12 for observers of the northern latitudes, while Taurus will be in the south (again, meteors may come from any direction). Start watching shortly after midnight and get ready to be patient. Taurides are rare, but when you see a fireball, you'll remember it.
The Leonids must arrive in mid-November and the Geminids, sometimes spectacular and prolific, will arrive in mid-December.
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