Astronomy buffs in Taiwan will be able to feast their eyes on the annual Taurid meteor showers that are expected peak Saturday and the following weekend, the Taipei Astronomical Museum said Thursday.
The Taurids are actually two separate showers — a southern and a northern stream — and the former are usually active from around Sept. 10 to Nov. 20, while the latter are active around Oct. 20 to Dec. 10, the museum said.
The southern Taurids will peak Saturday, producing five to seven shooting stars per hour in a dark sky, the museum forecast.
In the period Nov. 12-13, it will be the turn of the northern Taurids, which are expected to display one to two shooting stars per hour, the museum said.
The Taurids do not usually generate a lot of attention among stargazers, because of the low rate of the “shooting stars,” but the International Meteor Organization and meteoriticists have predicted a big burst in the southern stream this year, as was the case in 2015, according to the museum.
Chances are there will also be a higher number of Taurid fireballs, the museum added.
The Taurids are known to move across the sky at about 28 kilometers per second, which is very slow compared with the Leonid meteor shower that moves at about 71kps and is due to occur later this month, the museum said.
Stargazers in Taiwan will be able to observe the Taurids from 7 p.m. until dawn on Saturday, and on the following weekend, in a clear night sky and in areas where there is little light pollution, it said.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel