The Taurid meteor shower is about to reach its peak tonight across the UK, with the coming days expected to produce some dazzling starry shows.
The Northern Taurids are active from October until early December, and the ‘dry and clear’ weather across the UK will present some fabulous viewing conditions.
The ‘slow’ shower will produce roughly five meteors each hour for those hoping to catch a glimpse – and will peak at midnight.
The Northern Taurid meteor shower shoot through the sky at 65,000mph, which is considered rather slow for most meteors – but good for stargazers.
Both the northern and southern Taurid meteor showers are linked to the Comet Encke, which passes through the Milky Way each year, though the Northern ones come from a slightly different stream of debris.
When it returns yearly, it sheds ice and rocks – the meteors – which dissipate into the Earth’s atmosphere and provide some spectacular views at night.
The Taurid meteor shower is believed to be the source of the 500ft meteor which exploded in the sky over the Stony Tunguska River in 1908.
The mysterious ‘Tunguska event’ was the largest asteroid impact in recorded history and caused an explosion 1,000 times more powerful than the bomb which destroyed Hiroshima.
In total, 80 million trees were knocked down over an area of 800 square miles hidden deep in the Siberian forest when a meteor which was up to 190 metres wide crashed into Earth.
If the object which caused this devastation had hit a populated area, it could have killed millions and razed a city to the ground.
There are two separate meteor showers, both referred to as Taurids – but one is northern, and the other is southern.
The Southern Taurid peaked around November 5, but the Northern ones are peaking tonight, November 11, 2024.
Unlike some meteor showers, you won’t need any special equipment to view the Taurid showers, as they can often be spotted with a naked eye.
Cloud cover and fog could obscure the view for some keen to spot the meteors, especially in Northern Ireland, southern Scotland, Northern Ireland, and parts of north England and south Wales.
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