The Sundarban 
A meteor pictured streaking thru the sky over North Bradford, U.S.
(Image credit rating: ©Mark Okay, via the American Meteor Society.)
Heads up stargazers! The Southern Taurid meteor shower peaks overnight on Nov. 4-5, when a flurry of smart meteors may presumably potentially be seen streaking thru Earth’s sky as our planet passes thru the periphery of a debris swarm shed by the wandering comet 2P/Encke.
Taking pictures stars are seen when shards of ancient comets collide with Earth’s atmosphere at tens of thousands of miles per hour, which without notice burn up in a magnificent display as they’re overwhelmed by the friction created by collisions with air molecules in the atmosphere. The Southern Taurids are identified for producing spectacular fireballs, as particularly large gadgets of interplanetary debris can slam into our planet that can make meteors that can momentarily flip night time to day as they flare to existence in the night time sky.
Swarm years are thought to happen as Earth passes thru a predicament of Encke’s debris trail containing a mass of particularly large commentary fragments. “We encounter these larger meteors about twice a decade at irregular intervals,” American Meteor Society expert Robert Lunsford suggested Space.com in an email. “Normal Taurid particles are usually the size of pea gravel with a few larger particles mixed in. The swarm particles are only the size of baseballs up to basketballs, but will appear as fireballs from the ground instead of normal meteors.”
Early November is the peak for the Southern Taurid meteor shower (Image credit rating: Chris Vaughan/Starry Night)
A suitable time to search out for Southern Taurid meteors is in the hours following midnight on the days surrounding the shower’s peak, according to EarthSky.org. Taking pictures stars associated with the shower can be visible streaking away from a level of foundation called a radiant located in the constellation Taurus, which rises above the horizon presently after sunset and climbs to its top probably level in the southern sky in the hours following midnight.
A crimson flashlight, warm clothing, a scorching drink and a comfortable chair are beneficial all thru a night time of meteor-hunting. (Image credit rating: Future)
Attempt to allow 30 minutes for your eyes to fully adjust to the dark – whereas attempting to avoid staring instantly at the moon – and decide out a patch of sky 40 degrees above the constellation Taurus, the place the meteor trails can be the longest. Bear in mind, the width of your clenched fist held at arm’s size accounts for roughly 10 degrees in the night time sky.
Lunsford notes that Earth is passing thru the periphery of the swarm all thru the 2025 Southern Taurid peak, that may likely provide a less spectacular explain compared to the earlier swarm match in 2022. “So far though, fireball activity in October has been higher than normal, indicating that we may have underestimated the strength of this year’s display,” persisted Lunsford. “Too bad a full moon occurs during the prime portion of this display. “
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The next Southern Taurid swarm isn’t always on account of happen till 2032, so be certain that to search up on Nov. 4-5 for a chance to catch a spectacular natural gentle explain. Astronomers attracted to capturing a fireball as it streaks thru the night time sky may tranquil read our information to imaging capturing stars, along with our roundups of the easiest cameras and lenses for astrophotography.
Editor’s Reveal: In case you may presumably capture a photograph of a Taurid meteor and want to share it with Space.com’s readers, then please send your image(s), comments, name and location to spacephotos@space.com.
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Anthony Wood joined Space.com in April 2025 after contributing articles to retailers including IGN, Recent Atlas and Gizmodo. He has a passion for the night time sky, science, Hideo Kojima, and human space exploration, and can’t wait for the day when astronauts as soon as again area foot on the moon.
