Taurids 2026: a new Moon between the two peaks, and a fair shot at a fireball
The two Taurid meteor showers peak a week apart this year, the Southern Taurids around November 5 and the Northern Taurids around November 12, and the new Moon lands on November 9, right between them. That’s about as good as the Taurid calendar gets. Rates are low: expect a handful of meteors an hour from a dark site, fewer from town. What makes the Taurids worth a cold night is the speed and size of what does come in. These are slow meteors, and the stream carries enough large debris that the American Meteor Society describes early November as the time for “a couple of Taurid fireballs each night.” The radiant is up from early evening, so you don’t need a 3 a.m. alarm. Go out after 20:00, face east or overhead, and give it an hour. ...