DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) - The beginning of two meteor showers associated with the constellation Taurus, the Southern Taurids and Northern Taurids is now underway. The peak for these meteor showers is on Nov. 3-4 and Nov. 8-9, respectively, which is close to the next full moon.
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Therefore, viewing beforehand may actually be better. Both are caused by comet 2P/Encke, which orbits the sun once every 3.3 years.
Observers rarely see more than five meteors per hour, but astronomers studying the Taurids found that Earth encounters a concentration of larger-than-average debris at intervals of three or seven years. The last uptick occurred in 2022.
Close conjunctions with the planet Jupiter cause this concentration. Fireballs, or meteors that are larger and brighter than anything in the sky except the sun and moon, probably come from these larger particles. They should appear to have come from the east.
Cloud cover will unfortunately thicken throughout tonight, but clearer skies are headed our way Thursday night.
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