Great balls of fire! The annual Taurid meteor shower is making it’s great return on Nov. 12, hitting it’s peak in the late evening. It will light up the dark, night sky as the Earth moves through meteor debris left behind by the Comet Encke. Since the remnants are usually larger than normal, the Taurids will likely create fireballs as well as brighter meteors that are expected to pass by hourly! CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE TAURID METEOR SHOWER LIVESTREAM.
However, the nearly full moon will “wash out the peak night,” Chris Vaughn of space.com explained. This year’s forecast notes there will be about seven meteors every hour, but there have been 10 to 15 on other occasions. The Taurid meteor shower is named after the constellation Taurus, since that appears to be where the meteors come from! Meanwhile, another meteor shower is also filling the skies with “falling stars” and the effects are expected to last throughout Dec. 3, so there are more opportunities to check out cool phenomenons!
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If by chance you are able to go outside, sky-gazers are suggested to give themselves 15 minutes prior to midnight to allow their eyes to adjust to the dark. Also, binoculars, a blanket and a sky map make the experience that much better! “This is not one of these high-rate meteor showers, but when you see one, you will know it,” Bill Cooke, of NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office, told the Palm Beach Post. “They are very bright, and they are pretty consistent year after year.” Looking ahead, the Leonid meteor shower will also peak in the early hours of Nov. 17.
HollywoodLifers, will YOU be checking out the Taurid meteor shower? Let us know!