The Taurid and Leonid meteor showers are set to peak this November, and if the skies are clear and you get a chance to see them for yourself, we’ve got you covered with the important things you need to know. Recent Posts: Keep it double: See how much Canadians spend on coffee every month Justin Trudeau to appear on new series of ‘Canada’s Drag Race’
The Taurides
First is the Tauride meteor shower, which consists of two: the North Taurides and the South Taurides. According to NASA, these rains occur every year from September to November. These showers, which appear as fireballs in the sky, are created when Earth passes through a large debris stream left by Comet Enke. Both the southern and northern showers are active right now, and when they happen at the same time in late October and early November, there’s sometimes a spike in fireball activity, according to the American Meteor Society (opens in new tab). “There seems to be a seven-year periodicity with these fireballs. 2008 and 2015 both produced notable fireball activity. 2022 may be the next opportunity,” AMS notes. The South Taurids have already peaked, but the North Taurids will peak on the nights of November 11 and 12, 2022. According to SPACE.com, the best time to see the Taurid meteor shower is around midnight “when the shower radiates, the Taurus constellation, it is high in the sky.” Photo via AMS If you can’t make it this weekend, don’t worry, there’s still a meteor shower peaking next week.
Leonidas
The next meteor shower to fall this month is the Leonids. They are active throughout November and according to NASA, are considered heavy rain. Although they consist of “dusty pieces of debris left behind by Comet Tempel-Tuttle as it orbits the Sun,” they are actually bright and colorful meteorites. Not only that, they are also quite fast – with travel speeds of 71 km per second, making them one of the fastest meteors to appear. The Leonids shower can have meteor rates as low as about 15 meteors per hour. But about every 33 years, we may experience a Leonid storm so large that it can “increase by hundreds to thousands of meteors per hour, depending on the observer’s location.” As for when they will peak this month, NASA shares that it will happen after midnight on November 18, “with something like 15 to 20 meteors per hour under clear, dark skies.” You may struggle to see the fainter meteors as the Moon will be about 35% full. Photo via AMS It’s been a little chilly out there, so be sure to bundle up for a night under the big, mysterious sky. There are a few Toronto parks where you can watch meteor showers, weather permitting. Lie on your back, look up at the sky and let the show begin.
Curiocity staff
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