Recent predictions of NASA scientists have revealed that starting tonight through the next couple of weeks you can watch the incredible Taurid meteor swarm. More numerous fireballs and bright meteors will be lighting up the night sky this year between 12 and 3 am.
Debris of Comet Encke is what conforms the Taurids. This comet, which is a 3-mile-wide slab of ice and rock was discovered in 1786 by Pierre Mechain. Investigators believe Comet Encke and the Taurid constellation are the remains of a bigger comet that broke up about 20,000 years ago.
Every year, between September and December when Earth passes through the debris of the comet viewers can witness the Taurid meteor shower, commonly referred as shooting stars, and observe how odd bits of dust hit and burn up in our atmosphere at speeds of nearly 105,000 km/h. Believe it or not, this event was first seen during the 18th century.
Bill Cooke, lead of Marshall Space Flight Center’s Meteoroid Environment Office in Alabama, said, “The annual Taurid meteor shower is going on right now, and we are seeing steady activity in our meteor cameras. Individuals should not be surprised if they see a bright meteor or fireball over the next few nights,” as reported by NASA blog.
This year we will not presence the simple meteor shower but a more active than the usual Turids shower, astronomers say. This event only takes place once-in-a-decade and was last seen in 2005. Bigger space particles can be seen leading to slow-moving fireballs and dazzling meteors which leave the night sky shining. Danielle Moser, an investigator from NASA, explained that Taurids cruise into our atmosphere at 60,000 to 65,000 miles per hour burning up and producing the incredible meteors.
Two separate steams are what shape the Taurids and experts say that the South Taurids will peak on November 5 and 6 while the North Taurids on the 11 and 12. NASA has recommended sky watchers to use the SkyView app, available in the App Store and Google Play to find this magnificent event.
Source: NASA