Taurid meteor shower has arrived, will remain visible for weeks
The Taurid meteors often appear yellow or orange, giving them the general classification of representing fireballs.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFMeteors of the Orionid Meteor Shower streak through the night sky above the San Rafael Swell(photo credit: REUTERS)
The Taurid meteor shower, also known as "Halloween fireballs," last seen in 2015, will be reappearing across the night sky this week.If you can, hopefully you will look up at the sky and see a bright meteor known informally as a fireball. Normally meteors are the size of a small coin, however, this shower is predicted to bring a plethora of larger meteors, from the size of a pebble to the size of a marble, and some maybe even far larger.Named after the constellation Taurus where they originate, the Taurid meteor shower is one of the year's longest lasting. The shower can be seen from October 20 until November 30, but is most active from November 5-12, when about a dozen meteors an hour can be seen each night.The meteors often appear yellow or orange, giving them the general classification of representing fireballs.They will be hurling towards the Earth's atmosphere at about 65,000 miles per hour, leaving behind yellow and orange glowing trails of debris. Compared to other meteor showers, the Taurid meteors are slow-moving, making them easier to photograph throughout the night."Both of the radiants of this shower are south of the Pleiades star cluster, stemming from the Taurus constellation itself, so they should not be hard to find," Gerald Sinclair wrote in an article at the Awareness Act. "While it might be a bit too cold for some to get out and view, those who happen to see these fireballs will be in for quite a treat."
