Watch the fireball-fueled northern Taurid meteor shower peak this week

One of the most explosive meteor showers of the year is active and should peak soon, which is great news if you like to see a little fire in the sky.

The South Taurid and North Taurid showers are active now and tend to produce a lot of sizzling in the form of fireballs that light up the sky. The South Branch of Tauride has already peaked, but can continue to contribute to the overall Fireball Count. Northern Taurids are expected to reach peak activity Wednesday night and the following morning, according to the American Meteor Society, or AMS.

Taurids are produced when Earth drifts through a cloud of debris left by Comet 2P / Encke around this time each year. Small chunks of dust can be seen burning in our upper atmosphere like “shooting stars”, while larger chunks of space rock can produce more dramatic fireballs.

The Taurids are not as well known as other meteor showers like the Perseids or even the Leonids, which are also active in November. They don’t produce as many meteors per hour as these more famous showers, but the Taurids are well known for generally adding a healthy dose of fireballs to the night sky in late October and early November.

About every seven years, the Taurids are particularly active, but we won’t see him again until 2022. Still, you might see a handful of shooting stars and maybe even a fireball per hour if you venture around midnight into ideal conditions.

It is possible to see them earlier in the evening, although this is a little less likely. Closer to dusk, you may be able to see a rare “grazer of land” on the horizon.

Whenever you go on a Taurid hunt, start by getting as far away from light pollution as possible and find a location with a wide, unobstructed view of the sky. Bundle up if necessary, then lie back, let your eyes adjust, relax, and watch.

Taurids may appear to emanate from up close to the Taurus constellation the Taurus, which also sits next to the famous star cluster, the Pleiades. It is not necessary to focus on this part of the sky, however, as Taurids may be visible in other parts of the night sky, but they will generally move away from Taurus.

Enjoy a small fire in the sky and forward all the epic fireball photos you get to me, @EricCMack, on Twitter.