Topline
Two meteor showers known for producing bright fireballs — particularly bright “shooting stars” — become active on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. The Southern Taurids and the Northern Taurids begin together, creating a six-week window through late-November.
This 2014 image provided by NASA shows a Taurid fireball recorded at the NASA All Sky Fireball Network station in Tullahoma, Tenn. (NASA via AP)
Associated Press
Key Facts
All meteor showers are caused by dust and debris left behind by comets as they cruise across Earth’s orbital path around the sun.
Every year in October, Earth enters a debris stream left behind in the inner solar system by Comet 2P/Encke, which contains pebble-sized debris.
Unusually, there are two streams — the Southern and Northern Taurids. Both streams become active on or around Oct. 11, overlapping for over a month.
The Taurids’ name comes from the fact that the meteors appear to radiate from the constellation Taurus, which rises in the east by late evening.
Unlike the Perseid or Geminid meteor showers in August and December, respectively, the Southern and Northern Taurids don’t have a particularly high count of “shooting stars” on their peak nights. However, the pebbles in Encke’s debris stream mean they do tend to produce very bright fireballs.
When And Where To Look For Fireballs
The Taurids are a long-lasting meteor shower, with activity lasting from Oct. 11 through late November. The Southern Taurids dominate the skies through late October, while the Northern Taurids reach their maximum in mid-November. For 2025, the strongest rates are expected around November 12, when the Northern Taurids peak.
The best viewing window is from midnight to dawn, when the constellation Taurus is high overhead. Expect slow-moving, bright “shooting stars” that occasionally leave trails.
Comet Encke: The Shortest Period Comet Known
Both the Southern and Northern Taurids are a consequence of comet 2P/Encke’s journey around the sun. Encke, first discovered in 1786 and only the second comet ever found by astronomers, orbits the sun every 3.25 years. According to NASA, that makes it the shortest orbital period of any known comet. It last looped around the sun in October 2023 and will return early in 2027.
The Next Meteor Showers — And Two Visible Comets
The Taurids will overlap with several other showers during their activity period. The Orionids, the product of Halley’s Comet (last seen from Earth in 1986 and due to return in 2061), peak on Oct. 21-22 during a new moon. By coincidence, that’s precisely when comet Lemmon (C/2025 A6) and comet SWAN R2 (Comet C/2025 R2) may become visible to the naked eye, and at least be binocular objects.
During November, the Taurids will blend into the Leonids, which peak on Nov. 17 when fast-moving “shooting stars” are possible.
Further Reading
Source link
