Urban sky-watchers: Look up!
Have we got a meteor shower for you!
The Taurid meteor shower -- comprising debris "gravelly debris ... the size of pebbles and small stones" shed by comet Encke, is hitting an anticipated peak of "a few fireballs an hour" over the next few nights, reports SpaceWeather.com.
Because these bits of comet dust are a little larger, and a little sturdier, and a little slower-moving than their fellow shooting-stars-in-training -- hitting the atmosphere at around 27 km/second, compared with the speedy 66 km/s of the recent Orionids -- they not only are easier to spot, but also tend to penetrate deeper before burning out.
What does that mean to you?
See that panorama of the sky over Hermosillo, Mexico? See the two really bright objects?
The object nearer the middle is the just-past-full Moon. The other one -- the brighter one; about 100x brighter -- is the meteor. That's one of the Taurids.*
This meteor shower -- peaking nowish through November 12th, and appearing to emanate from around the constellation Taurus -- isn't so plentiful as some. (Well, some years are busier than others.) Usually, there'll just be two to ten per hour. So, you might have to wait a while to spot one ... but they're worth the wait.
Taurus? Where is Taurus? This evenin around 8 or 9, the constellation will be low in the East, says EarthSky.org. Look for bright red Aldebaran (the bull's eye) and even brighter Jupiter, which will be keeping the bull company.
(* Your brightness may vary. Objects in the sky may be closer than they appear -- or not.)
This entry is cross-posted from www.dreamwidth.org, where there are
comments. Comment where ye will.
The Taurid meteor shower -- comprising debris "gravelly debris ... the size of pebbles and small stones" shed by comet Encke, is hitting an anticipated peak of "a few fireballs an hour" over the next few nights, reports SpaceWeather.com.
Because these bits of comet dust are a little larger, and a little sturdier, and a little slower-moving than their fellow shooting-stars-in-training -- hitting the atmosphere at around 27 km/second, compared with the speedy 66 km/s of the recent Orionids -- they not only are easier to spot, but also tend to penetrate deeper before burning out.
What does that mean to you?
See that panorama of the sky over Hermosillo, Mexico? See the two really bright objects?
The object nearer the middle is the just-past-full Moon. The other one -- the brighter one; about 100x brighter -- is the meteor. That's one of the Taurids.*
This meteor shower -- peaking nowish through November 12th, and appearing to emanate from around the constellation Taurus -- isn't so plentiful as some. (Well, some years are busier than others.) Usually, there'll just be two to ten per hour. So, you might have to wait a while to spot one ... but they're worth the wait.
Taurus? Where is Taurus? This evenin around 8 or 9, the constellation will be low in the East, says EarthSky.org. Look for bright red Aldebaran (the bull's eye) and even brighter Jupiter, which will be keeping the bull company.
(* Your brightness may vary. Objects in the sky may be closer than they appear -- or not.)
This entry is cross-posted from www.dreamwidth.org, where there are
comments. Comment where ye will.