The Taurids

Our guideWhat this means for your night

Our plain-language reading of the sources and calculations on this page. It adds no new facts; the quotes below are the evidence.

Two branches, one comet. The Taurids come in two branches, Southern and Northern, both from the complex associated with comet 2P/Encke, according to IMO and NASA. The AMS describes the Northern Taurids as much like the Southern but active a little later. In our table the Southern Taurids peak on the night of Nov 4–5, 2026 and the Northern Taurids on Nov 11–12, 2026.

What to expect. Not many meteors. NASA's blog says rates are low, only about 5 per hour, and the published ZHR in our table is 5 for each branch. What makes the Taurids worth a look is size: NASA says Taurid meteors tend to be larger than normal, so many are bright fireballs, and the AMS says fireball activity sometimes increases when both branches are active in late October and early November. That's a possibility, not a promise; the AMS major-showers page says the Taurids can be rather variable in strength.

Timing. Our calculation puts both radiants highest around 12:30 a.m. local mean solar time, near the middle of the night, and IMO says northern observers are better placed because the radiant stays well up for much of the night. That means you don't need a pre-dawn alarm for these. The Moon is kind in 2026: for the Southern Taurids USNO shows 20% lit on Nov 4 and 13% on Nov 5, and for the Northern Taurids 6% lit on Nov 11 and 11% on Nov 12.

Tips that follow. Treat a Taurid night as fireball watching: a relaxed hour or two, wide sky, no expectation of a count. Because activity lasts weeks, any clear, dark night in early November is a fair try.

A NASA footnote. NASA's blog notes that the first lunar meteoroid impact NASA observed was a Taurid, on November 7, 2005, seen with a 10-inch telescope like the ones amateurs use. It's a good story for a slow night.

LMST is local mean solar time, which can differ from your clock by an hour or more. The time the radiant is highest isn't a recommended start time; it can fall in twilight or daylight. Moon figures: USNO's one-day figure for each calendar date, requested for 39.83° N, 98.58° W (near the center of the contiguous US) at UTC−6. USNO doesn't say what time of day the figure applies to. Illumination only; check local moonrise and moonset.

The AMS calendar dates the Southern Taurids' annual component to October 14, and the AMS major-showers page gives October 18; we haven't resolved which is current. The November night in our table is the AMS calendar's peak night for the fireball-swarm component. Neither page promises a fireball display in any particular year.

Where they come from

“Comet Enke is the parent comet of the Taurid meteor stream.”

Source: NASA: Comet 2P/Encke

“This stream, with its Northern counterpart, forms part of the complex associated with Comet 2P/Encke.”

Source: IMO 2027 Meteor Shower Calendar (PDF)

When they're active

“The Southern Taurids are a complex shower made up of two main components: the annual component, which peaks on October 14th, and the fireball-swarm component, which peaks on November 5th.”

Source: AMS meteor shower calendar

“This shower is much like the Southern Taurids, but is active a little later in the year.”

Source: AMS meteor shower calendar

“The Taurids (max: October 18 & November 5 for S. Taurids, November 12 for N. Taurids), active for two months, are most numerous in November's first half, and can be rather variable in strength.”

Source: AMS major meteor showers

Where to look

“Its near-ecliptic radiant makes the shower a target for observers at all latitudes, albeit those in the northern hemisphere are somewhat better-placed, as here suitable radiant zenith distances persist for much of the night.”

Source: IMO 2027 Meteor Shower Calendar (PDF)

Southern Taurids: radiant height and rise time, Nov 4, 2026

Our calculationFrom the radiant position on our calendar: right ascension (RA) 3.47 h, declination (Dec) +14.5° (AMS calendar data). Method on our About page.

Northern Taurids: radiant height and rise time, Nov 11, 2026

Our calculationFrom the radiant position on our calendar: right ascension (RA) 3.87 h, declination (Dec) +22.2° (AMS calendar data). Method on our About page.

Highest altitude is when the radiant crosses due north-south. The rise time is when it clears a flat horizon, ignoring refraction, twilight and terrain.

How many to expect

“Rates are low, only about 5 per hour, so why the interest?”

Source: NASA Watch the Skies blog, Nov. 8, 2011

ZHR is a standardized rate: what one observer would count in an hour under a perfectly dark sky with the radiant straight overhead. It isn't a forecast, and what you count is usually lower.

What they look like

“Taurid meteors tend to be larger than the norm, which means they are bright, many being fireballs.”

Source: NASA Watch the Skies blog, Nov. 8, 2011

“When the two showers are active simultaneously in late October and early November, there is sometimes a notable increase in fireball activity.”

Source: AMS meteor shower calendar

Famous displays

“This makes Taurid lunar impacts easy to see with Earth-based telescopes; in fact, the first lunar meteoroid impact observed by NASA was a Taurid back on November 7th of 2005, and we detected it with a 10″ telescope of the same type used by amateurs all over the world!”

Source: NASA Watch the Skies blog, Nov. 8, 2011

How to watch

For any meteor shower

“Most meteor showers are best observed between midnight and dawn.”

Source: AMS meteor FAQ

“Find a dark location with an unobstructed view and give your eyes at least 20–30 minutes to adjust. Full dark adaptation takes longer, so avoid bright lights and phone screens.”

Source: AMS meteor FAQ

“Meteor showers are best observed with the unaided eye. Binoculars and telescopes restrict your field of view, making it harder to catch meteors appearing across the sky.”

Source: AMS meteor FAQ

“Look toward a dark, clear part of the sky, roughly halfway between the horizon and directly overhead.”

Source: AMS meteor FAQ

“It is a standardized estimate of shower activity under ideal conditions: a very dark, clear sky with the radiant directly overhead. It is not the number most observers will actually see.”

Source: AMS meteor FAQ

How many meteors you actually see depends on the shower's activity that night, how dark your sky is, clouds, and how high the radiant is.

We don't know the weather on any given night. Check a forecast, and the calendar for the moon on each date.

All meteor showers · Find a dark sky place