2 weeks Ago
Yes, that's right, we're in for another treat. The Northern Taurids will glow brightly as they enter the Earth’s atmosphere this week and will be visible to the naked eye. They are usually active from October until the start of December but will reach peak brightness this week, and are expected to produce sparkling meteors.
Caught a couple of Taurid meteor's in the skies over Northumberland tonight (4 min exposure). Hoping to see an aurora too but no sign of one pic.twitter.
com/QHYlZzYDPh According to The Mirror, experts say the astronomical phenomenon is worth waiting for due to its intensity in the sky, despite the Taurids producing around five meteors every hour. The Southern Taurids from the same shower peaked at the beginning of November and have been active since September. The bright lights will be visible to the naked eye.
Anyone hoping to catch a glimpse has been advised to view them from an area with little light pollution and an unobstructed horizon. They should also allow their eyes to adapt to the darkness before viewing across the widest possible area of the sky. Stargazers can get the best view of the meteor shower at around midnight.
Taurid meteors consist of two different streams - the South Taurids and the North Taurids. While the North Taurids are produced by dust grains left behind by asteroid 2004 TG10, the Southern is produced by debris left behind by Comet 2P Encke. (function (d, s, n) { var js, fjs = d.
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As they pass through Earth's sky at 17 miles per second—or 65,000mph—they are described as moving "very slowly." The Taurids are also visible for longer periods of time because they spread out whilst Earth ploughs through the comet's debris, according to the Royal Observatory Greenwich. The debris stream is made up of ice and rock, and its "crumbs" then begin to burn up in Earth's atmosphere - which creates a bright display of lights.
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