Southern Taurid Meteor Shower

By Astro-Observer · Last reviewed November 8, 2026

Active

September 20 – November 20

Peak

Around November 5–6

Peak rate (ZHR)

7 (range 5–10)

Radiant

Taurus (3h 28m, +15°)

Speed

27 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 6, 2027, around 1h	First quarter, 47% lit	Some
November 5, 2028, around 7h	Waning gibbous, 92% lit	Bright Moon

The Southern Taurids have no single sharp peak: an early maximum around October 13 (ZHR near 5) is followed by the main one around November 5, with low, steady rates in between.

Computed from the shower's peak solar longitude (λ☉ 223°). 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 Southern Taurids are the slow, steady background of the autumn sky. Rates never get high, but many Taurids are bright, and now and then one becomes a fireball. Their twin, the Northern Taurids, is active alongside them in early November.

Where the meteors come from

Both Taurid branches come from Comet 2P/Encke, which orbits the Sun every 3.3 years, and the wide complex of debris around it. The stream has several overlapping parts, so activity is spread over weeks. Some larger grains form a swarm kept in step with Jupiter; in years when Earth passes near it, fireballs become much more common.

When to watch

The shower runs from September 20 to November 20, with an early maximum around October 13 and the main one around November 5; the table above gives the date and the Moon. Any clear, moonless night from mid October to mid November is worth an hour. The radiant lies near the point opposite the Sun, so it is highest around midnight.

How to find the radiant

The radiant is in Taurus. Find the Pleiades, a tiny, misty dipper of stars, in the east after dark. At the main peak the radiant lies about 10° (a fist at arm's length) south-southwest of them. The IMO treats it as a large oval, about 20° by 10°, so slow meteors from this area are probably Taurids.

What to expect

With the radiant 60° or more up around midnight from mid-northern latitudes, a dark site gives three to six Southern Taurids an hour; from the suburbs, one to three, mostly bright. At 27 km/s they are slow enough to follow by eye. Fewer than 1% are fireballs in normal years, but 2.4% to 4.6% in swarm years.

Viewing tips

Plan several short sessions through October and early November.
Leave a camera running on a tripod: slow, bright Taurids photograph well.
Use speed to sort meteors: Taurids drift, while Leonids flash past.
Note the time, direction and brightness of any fireball and report it.

History and notable displays

The swarm model comes from David Asher and Victor Clube in 1993. IMO observers confirmed stronger, fireball-rich returns in 1988, 1991, 1995, 1998 and 2005, and in 2015 observers worldwide reported many Taurid fireballs, some as bright as the full Moon. Pierre Méchain first saw Comet Encke in 1786.

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.