South Taurid fireballs in 2016?

Jeff Dai in Tibet captured this Taurid fireball on November 10, 2015, over Yamdrok Lake.

It’s October, and meteor season is upon us with major meteor showers each month until the year’s end. There are always minor meteor showers happening, too, and a good one to be aware of this month is the Taurid meteor shower, which may well produce a swarm of fireballs – or exceptionally bright meteors – in late October and early November. That’s regardless of which date the South Taurid meteor shower peaks, by the way, and dates for the peak this year, as always, are a bit uncertain.

Two trusted sources give October 10 (or 9) as the date for the South Taurid peak in 2016. The International Meteor Organization (IMO) is one, and the American Meteor Society (AMS) is the other. The Taurids (both South and North Taurids, which peak in November) are long, spread-out showers with no well-defined peak, and only a handful of meteors per hour on the peak nights (5-7 perhaps). But the AMS explains what’s awesome about them:

The Taurids (both branches) are rich in fireballs and are often responsible for increased number of fireball reports from September through November.

Did we say fireballs? Yes! Last year, October and early November 2015, was an incredible year for the long-lasting Taurids. We received many, many photos of fireballs from watchful observers, which you can see here.

This year may or may not be as good for fireball-watching, but … the Taurids are well worth knowing about and watching for.

View larger. | South Taurid meteors radiate from the constellation Taurus, which you can find in this photo as the V-shaped pattern above the meteor. That V represents the face of the Bull in Taurus. Image via Flickr user Rocy Raybell.

The Taurid meteor stream consists of an extremely wide roadway of far-flung debris left behind by Comet 2P Encke. When Earth travels through this belt of comet debris, bits and pieces of Comet 2P Encke smash into the Earth’s upper atmosphere to vaporize as rather slow-moving Taurid meteors (17 miles/28 km per second).

Yet, the Taurids are known for having a high percentage of fireballs.

Apparently, the original Taurid stream had been perturbed by Jupiter into two branches: South and North Taurids. The South Taurids, the more prominent of the two, are active from about September 25 to November 25, whereas the (overlapping) North Taurids are active from about October 20 to December 10. It’s now thought that the South Taurid peak (October 10) comes about one month before the North Taurid peak (November 12).

Peak dates aside, meteor aficionados will be on the lookout as the South and North Taurids simultaneously produce meteors throughout October and into early November.

Last year (2015), experts were saying that higher rates of Taurid fireballs might happen in seven-year cycles, and that the last grand fireball display was in 2008. That was good news for Taurid-watchers in 2015, and last year’s shower did apparently produce many fireballs.

What about this year? Will there be lingering effects from last year’s fireball extravaganza?

The only way to know is to watch!

Comet Encke over 3 years of its 3.3-year orbit. Grid lines are 1 astronomical unit (sun-Earth distance) apart. Image via Guy Ottewell. Read Guy Ottewell’s write-up on the 2016 Taurids.

Comet Encke, parent of the Taurid meteor shower. Image via Messenger.

Bottom line: The long-lasting South Taurid meteor shower (September 25 to November 25) may well produce fireballs this month or early next month. Watch for them.

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/1MavXit

Jeff Dai in Tibet captured this Taurid fireball on November 10, 2015, over Yamdrok Lake.

It’s October, and meteor season is upon us with major meteor showers each month until the year’s end. There are always minor meteor showers happening, too, and a good one to be aware of this month is the Taurid meteor shower, which may well produce a swarm of fireballs – or exceptionally bright meteors – in late October and early November. That’s regardless of which date the South Taurid meteor shower peaks, by the way, and dates for the peak this year, as always, are a bit uncertain.

Two trusted sources give October 10 (or 9) as the date for the South Taurid peak in 2016. The International Meteor Organization (IMO) is one, and the American Meteor Society (AMS) is the other. The Taurids (both South and North Taurids, which peak in November) are long, spread-out showers with no well-defined peak, and only a handful of meteors per hour on the peak nights (5-7 perhaps). But the AMS explains what’s awesome about them:

The Taurids (both branches) are rich in fireballs and are often responsible for increased number of fireball reports from September through November.

Did we say fireballs? Yes! Last year, October and early November 2015, was an incredible year for the long-lasting Taurids. We received many, many photos of fireballs from watchful observers, which you can see here.

This year may or may not be as good for fireball-watching, but … the Taurids are well worth knowing about and watching for.

View larger. | South Taurid meteors radiate from the constellation Taurus, which you can find in this photo as the V-shaped pattern above the meteor. That V represents the face of the Bull in Taurus. Image via Flickr user Rocy Raybell.

The Taurid meteor stream consists of an extremely wide roadway of far-flung debris left behind by Comet 2P Encke. When Earth travels through this belt of comet debris, bits and pieces of Comet 2P Encke smash into the Earth’s upper atmosphere to vaporize as rather slow-moving Taurid meteors (17 miles/28 km per second).

Yet, the Taurids are known for having a high percentage of fireballs.

Apparently, the original Taurid stream had been perturbed by Jupiter into two branches: South and North Taurids. The South Taurids, the more prominent of the two, are active from about September 25 to November 25, whereas the (overlapping) North Taurids are active from about October 20 to December 10. It’s now thought that the South Taurid peak (October 10) comes about one month before the North Taurid peak (November 12).

Peak dates aside, meteor aficionados will be on the lookout as the South and North Taurids simultaneously produce meteors throughout October and into early November.

Last year (2015), experts were saying that higher rates of Taurid fireballs might happen in seven-year cycles, and that the last grand fireball display was in 2008. That was good news for Taurid-watchers in 2015, and last year’s shower did apparently produce many fireballs.

What about this year? Will there be lingering effects from last year’s fireball extravaganza?

The only way to know is to watch!

Comet Encke over 3 years of its 3.3-year orbit. Grid lines are 1 astronomical unit (sun-Earth distance) apart. Image via Guy Ottewell. Read Guy Ottewell’s write-up on the 2016 Taurids.

Comet Encke, parent of the Taurid meteor shower. Image via Messenger.

Bottom line: The long-lasting South Taurid meteor shower (September 25 to November 25) may well produce fireballs this month or early next month. Watch for them.

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/1MavXit