The Taurids Meteor Shower has kicked off but isn’t very visible outside of the peak dates and times.
The South Taurid meteors will peak on Tuesday, November 4 through Thursday, November 6.
However, NASA notes that a very bright Moon may be in the sky then. If it is, the meteors likely won’t be visible.
“Those with patience may still be able to catch a few good ones. Best viewing will be just after midnight from a dark location far away from city lights,” it said.
“You may have better luck a week later, when the North Taurid meteor shower shows up between November 11-12.”
Both showers radiate from near the Taurus constellation but are typical across the whole sky.
The first stream comes from Asteroid 2004 TG10 while the second stream comes from Comet 2P Encke.
Though the Taurids are usually relatively weak, the showers are known to occasionally produce fireballs, which streak brightly across the sky.
The fireballs come from a swarm of particles bigger than the usual dust grains.
“They’re about the size of pebbles or small stones,” said meteor expert David Asher of the Armagh Observatory in Northern Ireland in a story on NASA’s website. And they’re as bright as the Moon.
The rocky swarm moves within the greater Taurid dust stream, sometimes hitting Earth, sometimes not.
Asher says that despite the shower’s lack of meteors, people should still watch.
“This comparatively long duration means you don’t get spectacular outbursts like a Leonid meteor storm,” he said. “It’s more of a slow drizzle--maybe one every few hours.”
