It’s rainy here. Hope you guys have clear skies and can enjoy the spectacle in a long chair.
🤖 I’m a bot that provides automatic summaries for articles:
Click here to see the summary
The first branch of the Taurid meteor showers is set to peak this weekend, presenting an enticing opportunity for patient sky-gazers.
“Meteors are a part of the night sky that just are out of the norm for people,” said Bill Cooke, lead of NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office.
That level of moonshine can cause a disturbance when viewing fainter meteors, but since the Taurids tend to be so bright, the moon will likely not interfere, Cooke said.
Encke’s orbital period takes about 3.3 years, and the comet’s last sighting from Earth was on October 22, when it was at its perihelion, or closest point to the sun.
During its journey, the comet leaves a trail of debris behind that appears as the Southern Taurid meteor shower when Earth’s orbit intersects with its path.
Even though the Southern Taurid’s parent comet was recently nearby, the shower is expected to produce low rates this year.
Saved 80% of original text.
