The Northern Taurids – produced by dust grains left behind by asteroid 2004 TG10 – will glow brightly as they enter the Earth’s atmosphere this week, and will be visible with the naked eye
A “very bright” meteor shower will bring a spectacular light display to UK skies over the next two nights as it reaches its “peak”.
The Northern Taurids – produced by dust grains left behind by asteroid 2004 TG10 – will glow brightly as they enter the Earth’s atmosphere this week, and will be visible with the naked eye. They are usually active from October until the start of December, but will reach peak brightness this week, and are expected to produce sparkling meteors.
Experts say the astronomical phenomenon is worth the wait due to its intensity in the sky, despite the Taurids producing around five meteors every hour. The Southern Taurids from the same shower peaked at the beginning of November and have been active since September.
How to watch the Northern Taurids
Stargazers can get the best view of the meteor shower at around midnight. The bright lights will be visible with the naked eye and those hoping to catch a glimpse have been advised to view them from an area with little light pollution and an unobstructed horizon. They should also allow for their eyes to adapt to the darkness before viewing across the widest possible area of the sky.
Taurid meteors consist of two different streams – the South Taurids and North Taurids. While the North Taurids are produced by dust grains left behind by asteroid 2004 TG10, the Southern is produced by debris left behind by Comet 2P Encke.
Both northern and southern Taurids become visible when Earth travels through a cloud of ice and dust left behind by Comet Encke as it passes through our solar system. As they pass through Earth’s sky at 17 miles per second – or 65,000mph, they are described as moving “very slow”.
The Taurids are also visible for longer periods of time because they spread out whilst Earth ploughs through the comet’s debris, according to the Royal Observatory Greenwich. The debris stream is made up of ice and rock, and its “crumbs” then begin to burn up in Earth’s atmosphere – which creates the bright display of lights.
