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Meteor shower · November

Northern Taurids 2027

The Southern Taurids’ November twin: slow meteors, low rates and the occasional fireball.

Peak nightNov 6–7
Rate at peakup to ~5/hour
Moon at peak58% · sets 23:20
Best time from London23:30–05:00
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The Northern Taurids from London

Times for London, United Kingdom

On the night of Nov 6–7, the radiant climbs to 62° in the south while it’s dark in London. The Moon is 58% lit and sets at 23:20, so the darker hours come after that. The best window here is about 23:30–05:00.

  1. 18:19Astronomical darkness begins
  2. 23:20Moon sets
  3. 23:30Best window begins
  4. 01:10Radiant highest, 62° up
  5. 05:09Dawn twilight begins
0°30°60°90°18:0021:0000:0003:0006:00RadiantMoon (58%)
Meteors can appear anywhere in the sky. Traced backward, their trails meet at the radiant; the higher it is, the more you’ll see.

How to watch

Watch any time from late evening onward; the radiant is highest around midnight. The Northern and Southern Taurids overlap in early November, so you may catch both.

The radiant is in Taurus, near the Pleiades, well placed around midnight. Up to about 5 meteors an hour at the peak under ideal skies (the zenithal hourly rate). The shower is active from about 30 Oct to 23 Nov.

Get as far from streetlights as you can and give your eyes at least 20 minutes to adjust to the dark. Every glance at a bright phone screen resets that, so keep it away or use a red night mode.

Lie back on a reclining chair or a mat and take in as much sky as possible, looking about halfway up rather than straight at the radiant. Meteors can appear anywhere; the ones far from the radiant have longer trails.

You need no equipment. Binoculars and telescopes show only a tiny patch of sky, so they make you miss meteors. Dress warmly, even in summer, and plan to watch for at least an hour: meteors come in clumps and lulls.

Where do they come from?

Like the Southern Taurids, they come from the debris complex of Comet 2P/Encke. The two branches are the two places where Earth crosses this broad stream.

Slow, often bright meteors at a few an hour.

Active
30 Oct – 23 Nov
Peak
around 7 Nov 2027
Rate at peak (ZHR)
~5 per hour
Speed
27 km/s
Parent body
Comet 2P/Encke
Radiant
Taurus

Calendar

Every major shower’s peak in 2027. Dates are approximate (±1 day) and given in UTC.

Questions

How do I tell Northern and Southern Taurids apart?
Their radiants are only a few degrees apart in Taurus, so it’s hard by eye. Software that measures meteor paths can separate them.
How many meteors will I really see?
Fewer than the peak rate. The zenithal hourly rate (ZHR) assumes a perfectly dark sky with the radiant straight overhead. With some light pollution, moonlight or a low radiant, a fraction of that is typical.
What is the radiant?
The point in the sky the meteors seem to come from. It’s a perspective effect: the dust travels in parallel paths, like snowflakes seen from a moving car. The higher the radiant, the more meteors you see.
Do I need a telescope or binoculars?
No. Your eyes are best because meteors can appear anywhere in the sky. Optical aid narrows your view far too much.
Know the best hour for your sky.SkyMate can remind you when the radiant is up and the sky is dark where you are.Join the waitlist

Sources: Global Meteor Network (activity and peak solar longitudes, CC BY 4.0); Moorhead, Clements & Vida 2022 (radiants and speeds, CC BY 4.0); NASA Meteoroid Environment Office (typical peak rates; no NASA endorsement implied). Peak dates and positions computed by SkyMate. Data & Licences

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