Northern Taurid Meteor Shower

By Astro-Observer · Last reviewed November 8, 2026

Active

October 20 – December 10

Peak

Around November 12–13

Peak rate (ZHR)

Radiant

Taurus (3h 52m, +22°)

Speed

29 km/s (slow)

Parent comet

2P/Encke

Best seen from

Both hemispheres (better from the north)

Best time

All night, best around midnight when the radiant is highest

Next peaks

Expected peak (UTC)	Moon at peak	Moonlight
November 12, 2026, around 18h	Waxing crescent, 11% lit	Little or none
November 13, 2027, around 0h	Full Moon, 98% lit	Bright Moon

The Northern Taurids have no sharp peak: rates stay close to their best for roughly ten days in early to mid November, so the date in the table is only a guide.

Computed from the shower's peak solar longitude (λ☉ 230°). Real peaks can come a few hours early or late, and you will see meteors on the nights either side. The peak hour may be in daylight where you are; watch the darkest hours of the nearest night.

The Northern Taurids take over from their twin, the Southern Taurids, as autumn goes on. They give only about five meteors an hour, but those meteors are slow and often bright, with the odd fireball.

Where the meteors come from

Like the southern branch, the Northern Taurids come from Comet 2P/Encke, which orbits the Sun every 3.3 years, and the broad stream of debris around it. The IAU Meteor Data Center also lists the asteroid 2004 TG10 as a possible source. Part of the stream is a swarm of larger grains kept in step with Jupiter; when Earth passes near it, fireballs become much more frequent.

When to watch

The shower is active from October 20 to December 10. The maximum is around November 12, but rates stay close to their best for roughly ten days in early to mid November. The table above gives the date and the Moon. The radiant is highest around midnight.

How to find the radiant

The radiant is in Taurus. Find the Pleiades, a small, misty dipper of stars, in the east after dark. On the peak night the radiant lies a couple of degrees south of them, with orange Aldebaran farther east. Treat it as a large patch, about 20° by 10°. On that night the Southern Taurid radiant lies about 7° farther south.

What to expect

With the radiant about 70° up around midnight from mid-northern latitudes, a dark site may give two to four Northern Taurids an hour, and five to ten together with the southern branch in early November. From the suburbs, expect one or two, mostly bright. At 29 km/s they glide rather than flash, and fireballs are more frequent when both branches are active.

Viewing tips

Use the broad peak: pick the clearest, darkest nights in the first half of November.
Look about 40° to one side of the Pleiades, where Taurids show longer paths.
In late November, quicker meteors from northern Orion are probably November Orionids.
Dress in layers: November nights are long and cold.

History and notable displays

Taurid fireball years are explained by the resonant swarm proposed by David Asher and Victor Clube in 1993. IMO observers found stronger, fireball-rich returns in 1988, 1991, 1995, 1998 and 2005, and in 2015 observers worldwide reported many Taurid fireballs, some rivaling the full Moon.

About the numbers. The ZHR (zenithal hourly rate) is how many meteors one observer would see in an hour under a perfectly dark sky with the radiant straight overhead. Real counts are almost always lower: under suburban skies, or with the radiant low, expect a half to a quarter of it, or less.