The Southern Taurid meteor shower will bring rare fireballs tonight

Key Points:

• The Southern Taurid meteor shower, known for its bright fireballs, peaks around midnight on November 4-5, offering a chance to see slow-moving meteors with long glowing trails radiating from the Taurus constellation.
• Southern Taurid meteors travel at about 65,000 mph, making them slower and more visible than other showers; fireballs from this shower can be brighter than Venus and sometimes leave lasting smoke trails in the sky.
• The shower produces roughly five meteors per hour and can be viewed globally except from the South Pole, with optimal viewing conditions including a dark sky, a crescent moon, and allowing eyes to adjust for at least 30 minutes.
• The Southern Taurids are caused by debris from comet 2P/Encke, which has a short 3.3-year orbit; this comet's breakup about 20,000 years ago also created the Northern Taurids and other meteor showers.
• Scientists forecast a denser Taurid debris swarm in 2032, which could result in many brilliant fireballs, while this year’s meteor activity is relatively low; other meteor showers will follow before the end of the year.