This is the week of peak of the “shooting stars of November”, the Southern Tauridswhich also give their best show in Italian skies starting from November 4-5 with a frequency of 5-10 meteors per hournot comparable to more intense showers like the Geminids in December or the Perseids in August, but still considerable. This meteor shower, visible to the naked eyeis made up of debris from the periodic comet 2P/Encke which, burning in contact with the Earth’s atmosphere, give rise to the magnificent “shooting stars”. The Southern Taurids, as the name suggests, also have one counterpart in the northern section of the constellation Taurus. The Northern Taurids however, they will reach their peak a week later, theNovember 11-12.
When, what time and where to observe the Southern Taurids in the skies of Italy
The Southern Taurids swarm is named after him radiant (i.e. the point from which the various light trails appear to start) which is located in the constellation of Taurus. It is called “Southern” because the meteors appear to come from southern part of the constellation. The Southern Taurids Shower is active from September 28th to December 2nd about. The best time to observe them is around midnight in the direction of constellation of Taurusthe radiant of the swarm. At that time, the constellation will be visible high above the horizon (40-50°) in east-southeast direction. The Taurids will put on a show accompanied by Pleiadesthe “seven sisters” of the constellation of Taurus, and from the star Aldebaranthe brightest of the constellation, also recognizable for its characteristic orange color.
To add further spectacle will also help Jupiterwhich will be located near Aldebaran and can be used as a reference to recognize the constellation of Taurus. The Moon these days is a thin crescent in the waxing phase, so by midnight it will have set well and will not cause difficulties in observation. As always, the advice is to go to one area as much as possible free of light pollution to maximize the number of “shooting stars” spotted. No telescopes or binoculars are needed, the Taurids are visible to the naked eye.
How to recognize the “shooting stars of November”
Meteors are generated by cosmic debris left by comets which, upon entering the Earth’s atmosphere, they burn Well yes they disintegrate by friction with the air. The Taurids are the slowest meteors among all those that follow each other during the year, entering the Earth’s atmosphere “only” 108,000 km/h. The Taurids are characterized by having meteors particularly colourful to burning in the atmosphere, with colors ranging from yellow to orange, green, red and blue. The Taurid debris shower contains considerably larger fragments than those released by other comets, which is why this shower occasionally releases some unusually bright meteors, known as “fireball”.
What causes the Taurids
The Taurids meteor shower occurs when the Earth, in its orbit around the Sun, passes through the debris left by the periodic comet 2P/Encke. This debris is old enough to form a cloud so large that it takes the Earth a considerable time to pass through it. This is also why they exist two Taurid meteor showersone from the South and one from the North.
The comet 2P/Enckediscovered by the French astronomer Pierre FA Mechain in 1786bears the name not of the discoverer, but of the one who first calculated its orbit, the German astronomer Johann Franz Encke. Its peculiarity lies in being the comet with the shorter orbital period let each other know, alone 3.3 years. Every time it enters the inner Solar System, approaching the Sun, it releases new ice debris and dust which then go on to cause the Taurids. Comet 2P/Encke and the Taurids meteor shower are thought to be the remains of a comet much larger one that has broken up in the last 20,000-30,000 years.
