Taurid fireball swarm expected in night sky

Christmas comes early for nighttime sky watchers during the next few weeks.

With a bit of luck, and if the weather cooperates, some flaming fireballs, or bolides—as bright as the moon and some even with smoke trails—will be visible streaking across the heavens.

They will come courtesy of the annual Taurid meteor shower, which some people call the Taurid swarm, so named because the meteors seem to radiate from the direction of the constellation Taurus (the Bull) in the northern hemisphere.

Five to seven per hour

The yearly shower usually presents about five to seven fiery streaks per hour, so their viewing requires some patience, but these particular meteors are often larger than the usual dust specks and rock particles the size of rice grains that constitute popular swarms like the Perseids every year, which manifests itself over only a few nights.

The Taurids come from debris that originates with the comet Encke, and they are visible, with peak variations, between late October and early November, although the debris stream’s width means that the Earth passes through for several weeks and some meteors may be visible for a week into December.

Even pebble size will be spectacular

For this shower, hope for clear skies and observe from about midnight until dawn. You don't need to locate Taurus in the sky to see the flaming visitors, as the constellation rises higher in the sky as the night wears on. Just look up, and trace back with your eyes in the direction of origin when you see one.

Any particles as large or larger than a pebble should present themselves as a memorable blazing fireball compared to the bright momentary streaks usually associated with most meteors. A visible smoke trail is a bonus, as are variable colours. And even though the Taurids are moving at a velocity of 28 kilometres per second, that is slow when measured against the swifter Perseids, so they aren't a blink-and-you-miss-it phenomena.

The moon, in a waning crescent phase, will not present too much of an obstacle to viewing, and tonight (November 5) is predicted to be a peak night for activity, although those predictions are based on educated guesswork. The comet Encke circles our sun every 3.3 years, so there is a fair bit of material shed during its frequent orbits. It is thought that the debris stream’s activity cycle hits a major peak every 2,500 to 3,000 years, but this year is expected to be a minor cycle peak as well.

Happy fireballs!