Mediocre Meteors in November

Usually we can count on a few meteors to blaze across the sky during November while there is still a little warmth on an autumn evening.

Early in the month this scenario holds true for the Taurid meteor shower. Because the Taurids consist of two distinct meteor streams, its primary activity spans just over a week, from the 3rd to the 12th. Early in this time frame the Moon will be New (on the 2nd), then increasing to just past First Quarter (waxing gibbous) on the 12th. Moonlight will only slightly interfere with observing the five to ten shooting stars per hour from this minor meteor shower.

Though the Taurids are slow meteors, entering our atmosphere at only 17-miles per second, these shooting stars are also bright. More often than not they are yellow in color. Fairly frequently they become fireballs that fragment into multiple meteors. This characteristic alone makes them worth watching.

At mid-month the next major shooting star display, the Leonids, are unfortunately past their storm level period of activity. Therefore we have to be content with the normal rates of from 15 to 20 meteors per hour at peak on the night of November 16 - 17. That would be the case if not for the bright Moon, which is Full on the 15th. Expect to see perhaps less than half of that peak number.

Leonid meteors are very bright since they blaze across the sky at an amazing speed of 44 miles per second. Most appear to be green or blue in color as they disintegrate in our upper atmosphere. About half them leave trains of dust which persist for minutes. Like the Taurids earlier in the month, Leonids often produce fireballs as well.

Fortunately there is one more astronomical object that will demand our attention for the rest of the year: Mars! This desert world is having a close encounter with the Earth on the night of October 29-30. A beginner's guide to observing Martian surface features will soon be published.

Keep your eyes to the skies!