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3h ago

Northern Taurids Peak Overnight With Chance of Fireballs

A darker moon favors the Leonids on Nov. 16–17, offering a better viewing opportunity.

Image
An engraving by Adolf Vollmy depicts the 1833 Leonids meteor storm and was made famous by a painting by Karl Jauslin. ESA
Weather permitting, under a dark sky away from city lights and light pollution, expect to see approximately 10 to 15 bright meteors per hour Nov. 18, with the best time likely coming in the pre-dawn sky. Gurpreet Singh/Unsplash
This photo of the Leonids was taken in 1998 by the Astronomical and Geophysical Observatory (AGO) in Modra, Slovakia with a fish-eye lens showing the whole sky. Juraj Toth, Comenius University, Bratislava/Astronomical Observatory Modra

Overview

  • The Northern Taurids were forecast to peak from the evening of Nov. 12 into the early hours of Nov. 13, according to the American Meteor Society.
  • The shower is known for sparse activity of roughly five meteors per hour but occasional bright fireballs, with viewing best after midnight before dawn, EarthSky reports.
  • Moonlight around 53% full likely reduced visibility of fainter meteors, though some areas saw improving cloud cover, local forecasts noted.
  • Sources cite differing active windows for the Northern Taurids, with reports ranging from Oct. 13–Dec. 2 to Oct. 20–Dec. 10 based on varying datasets.
  • The next major opportunity is the Leonid peak on Nov. 16–17, when a 9% moon and fast meteors could yield about three to 15 per hour, including possible fireballs.