Meteor Shower Could Spur Bright Fireballs

Dark Knight

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 3, 2004
Messages
21,649
Reaction score
82
The Taurid meteors, sometimes called the "Halloween fireballs," show up between mid-October and mid-November, but Nov. 5 to 12 will likely be the best time to look for them this year, taking into account both their peak of activity and the effect of increasingly bright moonlight on viewing conditions.


After the Moon sets – around 11 p.m. local time on Nov. 5, later on subsequent nights – some 10 to 15 meteors may appear per hour. They are often yellowish-orange and, as meteors go, appear to move rather slowly. Their name comes from the way they seem to radiate from the constellation Taurus, the Bull, which sits low in the east a couple of hours after sundown and is almost directly overhead by around 1:30 a.m.
In the September 2008 issue of "Meteor Trails" (the journal of the American Meteor Society), Robert Lunsford writes: "Maximum rates for the southern branch occur near November 5th and the northern branch peaks near November 12th. This year the Moon is favorable during the first week of November but the northern Taurids peak only a day before full Moon."


The two radiants lie just south of the Pleiades. So during the next couple of weeks, if you see a bright, slightly tinted orange meteor sliding rather lazily away from that famous little smudge of stars, you can feel sure it is a Taurid.


Adds Lunsford: "2005 was the last swarm year . . . many exceptional fireballs were seen especially along the U.S. East Coast on Halloween evening when fireballs as bright as the full Moon were witnessed.

Will 2008 offer a repeat performance? Only by going out and viewing this display will we know for sure!"

http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20081...htfireballs;_ylt=AlSSyPSgbeHHHtYoaNV3PXys0NUE
 
Great! I love going out and watching those! Thanks for posting! (Hope we can see them here.)
 
I looked last night but didn't see any. Anyone else have better luck?
 
I'm gona let my husband know about this. I REALLY don't like meteors, shooting stars-things of that nature. For some reason they just don't sit well with me,lol weird.
 

Members online

Online statistics

Members online
158
Guests online
2,604
Total visitors
2,762

Forum statistics

Threads
590,037
Messages
17,929,231
Members
228,044
Latest member
Bosie
Back
Top