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The Southern Taurid meteor shower will bring rare fireballs tonight

The annual Southern Taurid meteor shower will peak Thursday, bringing bright trails and a chance to see a blazing fireball.

CNNDharma Niles2026-11-04 21:59查看原文 ↗

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Night owls have the chance to spot a few dazzling fireballs as the Southern Taurid meteor shower hits peak activity.

Southern Taurid meteors strike Earth’s atmosphere at about 65,000 miles per hour (104,607 kilometers per hour), making them slower and visible for longer than those produced by showers such as the Orionids . Meteors, which have particularly lengthy glowing trails, will appear to radiate from the Taurus constellation. Views are expected to be best at around midnight Thursday, with the estimated peak around 3 p.m. ET on November 5 according to EarthSky .

“What makes the Taurids spectacular is that they’re rich in bright fireballs,” said Bill Cooke, head of NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office. “There are not many of them, but when you see one, you’ll remember it. It’ll leave a brilliant streak across the sky.”

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Asteroids and comets leave behind debris trails as they eject bits of ice and rock while orbiting the sun. Meteor showers occur when Earth passes through those trails, causing the debris to hit Earth’s atmosphere, burn up and leave a blaze of light across the sky.

While most bits of ice and rock that burn up are the size of dust grains or pebbles, fireballs arise from debris ranging from the size of a marble to that of a small boulder. These fireballs can be brighter than Venus: Some leave behind shining lines of ionized air molecules that disappear after a few seconds, while others produce smoke trails of cloudlike vapor that remain in the air for several minutes.

“That can be really exciting — it’s much less common to see a fireball,” said astronomer Bethany Cobb Kung, associate professor of honors and physics at George Washington University.

The Southern Taurid shower takes place annually and produces roughly five meteors per hour. They can be seen from almost anywhere in the world, except from the South Pole.

With a crescent moon expected Thursday night, meteors should be easier to spot. When looking for Taurid meteors, Kung suggests identifying the constellation Orion first — specifically its belt.

“If you can find Orion and look to the right, that’s where Taurus is,” Kung said. “As long as you’re pointed in the general vicinity, you don’t have to be looking at exactly one part of the sky.”

For an optimal viewing experience, find somewhere dark and give your eyes at least half an hour to adjust — without looking at your phone, according to Cooke.

“Just look up and take in the show,” Cooke said. “It’s the simplest form of astronomy. All you need is your eyes.”

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The Southern Taurid meteor shower began in September and is set to end November 20. The Northern Taurid meteor shower — a separate but nearby trail of debris — began mid-October and will peak November 12, before ending December 10.

The Southern Taurids take place as Earth passes through debris left by comet 2P/Encke — which has the shortest orbital period of any known comet in the solar system, at about 3.3 years. Scientists believe comet Encke was part of a larger body that broke up roughly 20,000 years ago, creating the complex responsible for the Southern and Northern Taurids, as well as at least three other meteor showers.

Cooke’s work focuses on forecasting meteor showers to protect crews and spacecraft from hitting debris. While meteors this year are less frequent, the planet is predicted to pass through a denser swarm of Taurid debris in 2032, he said.

“If you’re out the night of Halloween in 2032 and skies are clear, you may see lots of brilliant fireballs blazing above your head,” Cooke said. “We’re kind of in a lull before the thunderstorms occur.”

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With less than two months left of the year, you still have time to watch a few more meteor showers. Here are some peak dates to remember if you’re looking for another sky-gazing opportunity.

Northern Taurids: November 11-12

Leonids: November 16-17

Geminids: December 13-14

Ursids: December 21-22

Marko Korosec/Solent News/Shutterstock

夜猫子们有机会在南金牛座流星雨达到高峰期时，看到一些耀眼的火球。

南金牛座流星雨的流星以约每小时 65,000 英里（104,607 公里）的速度撞击地球大气层，因此比猎户座流星雨等其他流星雨产生的流星速度更慢，持续时间也更长。这些流星拖着特别长的发光尾迹，看起来像是从金牛座方向辐射出来的。据 EarthSky 预测，最佳观测时间预计在周四午夜前后，高峰期预计在 11 月 5 日美国东部时间下午 3 点左右。

“金牛座流星雨之所以壮观，是因为它们充满了明亮的火流星，”美国宇航局流星体环境办公室主任比尔·库克说。“它们的数量不多，但当你看到一颗时，你会印象深刻。它会在天空中留下一道耀眼的轨迹。”

那颗不会撞击地球的小行星可能会撞击月球。如果真是这样，会发生什么？

小行星和彗星在绕太阳运行时会抛射冰块和岩石碎片，留下碎片带。当地球穿过这些碎片带时，就会发生流星雨，导致碎片撞击地球大气层，燃烧殆尽，在天空中留下耀眼的光芒。

大多数燃烧的冰块和岩石碎片只有尘埃或鹅卵石大小，而火球则是由弹珠大小到小巨石大小的碎片形成的。这些火球的亮度甚至超过金星：有些火球会留下闪亮的电离空气分子线条，几秒钟后便会消失；而另一些火球则会产生类似云雾的烟雾轨迹，在空中停留数分钟之久。

“那真的令人兴奋——看到火球并不常见，”乔治·华盛顿大学荣誉物理学副教授、天文学家贝瑟尼·科布·孔说道。

南金牛座流星雨每年都会出现，大约每小时产生五颗流星。除了南极以外，世界上几乎任何地方都能观测到它。

预计周四晚间将出现一弯新月，届时流星雨应该更容易观测到。孔建议，在寻找金牛座流星雨时，首先要找到猎户座——特别是它的腰带。

“如果你能找到猎户座，然后向右看，那就是金牛座，”孔说。“只要你大致指向那个方向，就不必非得盯着天空的某个特定区域。”

库克建议，为了获得最佳观看体验，请找个黑暗的地方，让眼睛至少适应半小时——期间不要看手机。

“抬头看看，欣赏一下就好，”库克说。“这是最简单的天文观测方式。你只需要一双眼睛。”

Alan Dyer/VW Pics/UIG/Getty Images

南金牛座流星雨于9月开始，预计将于11月20日结束。北金牛座流星雨——一条独立但距离较近的流星雨带——于10月中旬开始，将于11月12日达到高峰，然后于12月10日结束。