The Northern Taurid meteor shower in 2023 starts on October 20 and ends on December 10, and you will see peak activity on November 11, 2023, according to the American Meteor Society.
It is a minor annual meteor shower in November 2023 that usually produces about 5 meteors per hour during peak activity under clear, dark skies.
Despite their low rates, the Taurid meteors tend to be brighter and slower-moving than most other showers, making them easier to see.
Please remember that the Taurid meteor shower has two branches, the Southern Taurids and the Northern Taurids. Taurid meteors (both branches) are famous for their brilliant fireballs. Fireballs are exceptionally bright meteors.
We see the Northern Taurid meteor shower every year around mid November when our Earth passes through the debris of dust left behind by the asteroid 2004 TG10 in its orbit. Asteroid 2004 TG10 is considered to be a fragment of a giant comet known as Encke Complex.
Encke Complex is a giant comet of about 100 km in diameter which was fragmented 10,000 to 20,000 years ago. As a result we see the comet Encke, the asteroid 2004 TG10 and a vast complex of meteoroid streams according to the Taurid Complex Giant Comet Hypothesis developed by Clube and Napier in 1984.
The Northern Taurid meteor shower doesn’t have a sharp peak
The Northern Taurid meteor shower have a fairly broad peak that overlaps with the Southern Taurid meteor shower, which peaks a week earlier (on November 5). So you can expect a fairly steady rate of meteors (up to 12 meteors per hour) for about 10 days in early to mid-November.
Best time to see the Northern Taurid meteor shower in 2023
The best time to see the Northern Taurid meteor shower in 2023 is around midnight on November 11.
The radiant of the Northern Taurid meteor shower rises in the early evening, reaches its highest point in the sky around midnight and then its altitude (height) gradually decreases until it sets in the early morning.
However, the radiant of the Northern Taurid meteor shower is well above the horizon from the late evening (at around 10 p.m. local time), so I will suggest you start watching Northern Taurids from late evening and continue it till post-midnight (at around 2 a.m. local time).
Please avoid dusk (early evening) and dawn to see the Northern Taurid meteor shower, as the radiant is located near horizon in the east at dusk and near horizon in the west at dawn.
Radiant is the point from where the meteors of the Northern Taurid meteor shower appear to radiate in the sky. Radiant of the Northern Taurid meteor shower is located in the zodiac constellation Taurus.
Best place to see the Northern Taurid meteor shower in 2023
Countries located in the low-northern latitudes (from 15°N to 30°N) are the best places to see the Northern Taurid meteor shower in the world.
Countries located in the low-northern latitudes are the USA, Japan, Portugal, Libya, Egypt, Iraq, Pakistan, India, China, Canary Islands, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Cuba, Senegal, Sudan, Myanmar, Philippines, and Guatemala.
However you don’t need to be upset as the Northern Taurid meteor shower can be seen from every country on Earth.
All the celestial objects like the Sun and the Moon, the Taurus constellation also rises in the east, reaches its maximum altitude (height) in the sky and sets in the west.
Now the maximum altitude of the Taurus constellation in the sky is not the same from all over the world. It depends on the observer’s location.
The higher the altitude of the Taurus constellation in the sky, the more Taurid meteors you will see.
The radiant of the Northern Taurid meteor shower (which is located in the Taurus constellation) reaches an almost overhead point (more than 80° altitude) around midnight when you see it from the counties located in the low-northern latitudes (from 15°N to 30°N).
That’s why countries located in the low-northern latitudes are the best places to see the Northern Taurid meteor shower in the world.
Best direction to see the Northern Taurid meteor shower in 2023
The Northern Taurid meteor shower radiates from the zodiac constellation Taurus. Look high in the south around midnight on November 11 to find the constellation Taurus.
However, I will suggest you don’t look at the constellation Taurus only to see the Northern Taurid meteor shower, as the meteors closer to the radiant have shorter trails and are difficult to observe. So move your gaze across the entire south direction of the sky.
If you look at the constellation Taurus only, then you may miss most of the spectacular Northern Taurid meteors, as the most spectacular meteors travel a longer path in the sky.
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