From late October to early November it is a fireball season as the Taurid meteor shower produces a rare "fireball swarm," per Space Weather Archive. It will peak on the weekend when weather conditions appear better for Friday than Saturday to see the meteor shower peak between midnight and dawn.
Despite the beautiful meteor shower this weekend, do not forget the total lunar eclipse or blood moon coming next week on Election Day, November 8.
Taurid Meteor Shower on the Weekend
The Taurid fireballs are often colorful and fragmented as they streak slowly through the sky. Patch reported that Taurids are produced when the debris from its parent Comet Encke orbiting Sun hits the Earth's atmosphere at about 65,000 mph and burns up.
Only 1% of all Taurid meters are fireballs in most years. But every seven years, bright meteors called fireballs are created when Jupiter orbits close to the comet stream, and its gravity pushes fragments as big as pebbles toward Earth. That is when astrophotographers might see several fireballs each night instead of only one every 20 hours.
This year, Earth will have another chance of a Taurid meteor shower raining fireballs on November 5. The last time Earth experienced a swarm of Taurid meteors was in 2015 in which South Taurids reached 10 per hour with numerous fireballs.
There are two streams of Taurid meteor showers, namely the Northern Taurids and Southern Taurids. They are considered major meteor showers in which both are active every year throughout the months of October and November.
The Northern Taurids are expected to run from October 20 to December 10 and will peak on November 12 to 13, but experts said that any night in the coming weeks will give a good view of the meteor shower. Meanwhile, the Southern Taurids run from September 10 until November 20, peaking between November 4 and 5.
The next expected Taurid swarm is in 2025, although it might not be as bright this year because of the full moon. Beyond that, 2032 appears to be an exceptional year when the moon will be new and Earth will pass close to the center of the swarm.
Total Lunar Eclipse on Election Day
According to Earthsky.org, the Taurid meteor shower will be available this weekend, which is just a few days before the full moon on November 8. But since the meteor shower is still visible for a few weeks, the moon might wash out most meteors on the days after its predicted peak. On the other hand, fireballs are bright enough to shine through the moonlight.
The best time to watch the rain of fireballs on November 8 will be a few hours before the full moon occurs in the night sky. Those watching the total lunar eclipse might also get lucky and spot some Taurid fireballs.
Aside from the total lunar eclipse also known as the blood moon happening on November 8, it is also Election Day. Some people are attaching political meaning to the cosmic event but experts assure people it has no truth to their assumption. Perhaps it is because blood moons have been mentioned many times in myths and legends as an omen.
Nonetheless, enjoying the view of both the Taurid meteor shower and the total lunar eclipse as it progresses will be best when under dark skies and with less light pollution.
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