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Amateur astronomers and sky watchers must have their eyes on the sky next week as the taurid meteor shower could result in some massive fireballs. Fireballs are a technical term for extremely bright meteors that pass through the atmosphere. For those unfamiliar, Taurids are divided into Northern Taurids and Southern Taurids.
Both are the result of debris left behind by a comet called Encke. The debris stream left by the meteor contains larger pieces of debris than other debris tracks left by comets. Although the Taurids don’t produce as many meteors as other meteor showers, the size of the debris means that the Taurids often create larger fireballs.
The Taurids first appeared in the night sky in late October and will continue to illuminate the night sky until November 27. The peak is typically between November 5th and 12th. Sunrise. The ideal time to look for fireballs would be right after midnight.
As with any astronomical observation, your best bet for ideal views is somewhere away from bright lights. However, the Taurids are known to produce fireballs bright enough to be seen within a city. For those unfamiliar with the comet that created the debris trail that led to the Taurids, Encke is a periodic comet. It orbits the sun every 3.3 years, which is the shortest orbital period for a reasonably bright comet.
The comet doesn’t reflect much of the light that hits it, but it does have a large crown and tail that make it more visible as it approaches the sun. Encke has a core approximately 4.8 kilometers in diameter. It was first discovered in 1786 but astronomers didn’t know it was a periodic comet until 1819.
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