Did You See the Taurid Meteor Showers?

In 2012, the thin waning crescent moon will give us mainly dark nights for observing the annual North Taurid meteor shower. The predawn lighting from the moon will add to – rather than subtract from – this year’s North Taurid meteor display. Plus the moon is now near the planet Venus in the predawn sky!

November 2012 guide to the five visible planets

Look for the moon and Venus in the east before sunrise on November 10 and November 11. Before sunrise on November 12, you’ll find the moon below Venus, right next to a fainter planet, Saturn, which will be very low in the east very shortly before sunup.

Moon, Venus and a good year for the N. Taurid meteors this weekend

Tonight for November 9, 2012

In 2012, the thin waning crescent moon will give us mainly dark nights for observing the annual North Taurid meteor shower. The predawn lighting from the moon will add to – rather than subtract from – this year’s North Taurid meteor display. Plus the moon is now near the planet Venus in the predawn sky!

November 2012 guide to the five visible planets

Look for the moon and Venus in the east before sunrise on November 10 and November 11. Before sunrise on November 12, you’ll find the moon below Venus, right next to a fainter planet, Saturn, which will be very low in the east very shortly before sunup.

No matter where you live worldwide, you’re likely to see the most North Taurid meteors in the wee hours – just after midnight – this weekend. This shower is going on now and continuing through the weekend. The peak night will likely be on the night of November 11/12 (late night Sunday/Monday after midnight), though any night this weekend might offer a comparable number of meteors. The North Taurids are generally a very modest shower, offering perhaps 10 meteors per hour on a dark, moonless night – like those this weekend. But even one bright meteor can be a treat, especially since a good percentage of the Taurid meteors tend to produce fireballs!

One of 32 constellation cards in Urania’s Mirror (View of the Heavens), via ianridpath.com.

The North Taurid meteors derive their name from the constellation Taurus the Bull. If you trace the paths of the Taurid meteors backward, you’ll see they appear to radiate from near the famous Pleiades star cluster of this constellation on their peak nights. You don’t have to find Taurus, though, to watch the North Taurid meteors. These slow-moving meteors can light up any part of the starry heavens, streaking through a wide variety of constellations. So just lie back comfortably and gaze in all parts of the sky, while waiting for the Taurid meteors.