Taurids
Also called: Halloween fireballs
A long-running, low-rate shower of slow, bright fireballs that peaks around early November.
- Type
- Meteor Showers
- Best season
- Autumn
- Gear
- Naked eye
- When to look
- Southern Taurids peak around November 5, Northern Taurids around November 12; active from September to December
- Typical rate
- About 5 an hour for each branch
- Source
- Comet 2P/Encke
- Radiant
- In Taurus, high in the sky around midnight
- Best for
- Late evening to after midnight
What you will see
- A few slow, bright fireballs rather than many meteors.
- Long, graceful meteors that last longer than most.
- Sometimes a bright fireball that lights the landscape.
How to watch
- Get away from city lights to a dark site with a wide view of the sky, and lie back in a reclining chair or on a pad.
- Let your eyes adapt to the dark for 20 to 30 minutes and keep white light and phone screens off.
- Look at the whole sky rather than staring at one spot, since meteors can appear anywhere.
- Be patient: expect only a few meteors an hour, but many are bright.
- Watch around midnight, when Taurus is high.
Constellations to know
Field notes
The Taurids are two overlapping showers, the Southern and the Northern Taurids. They produce few meteors, but those they produce are slow and often bright.
Related guides
Dates and times repeat from year to year but shift slightly, and the Moon's phase and the planets' positions are different every year. Check a current source such as NASA, the American Meteor Society, or a stargazing app before you plan a night out, and check the weather forecast for clear skies.