Northern Taurids meteor shower 2026 and 2027

What the Northern Taurids are

The Northern Taurids are one of two branches of a broad stream of debris associated with comet 2P/Encke; the Southern Taurids are the other. The International Meteor Organization (IMO) lists the Northern branch as active from about October 20 to December 10, starting later and running later than its southern twin. For several weeks in early November, both are active at once.

The radiant sits in Taurus, about 6 to 7 degrees north of the Southern Taurid radiant and close to the Pleiades star cluster around the peak. IMO advises treating it as a large oval region, because the meteors spread out from a wide area rather than a sharp point.

What they look like

Like their southern counterparts, Northern Taurids are slow, reaching the atmosphere at less than half the speed of a Perseid. Many are bright. The American Meteor Society says early to mid November is the best period of the year to catch a couple of Taurid fireballs in a night, when the shower is not weak. Slow, bright meteors also photograph well, which makes the Taurids a good first target for anyone trying meteor photography.

How to watch from the US

Taurus rises in the east soon after dark in November and is highest in the south around midnight to 1 a.m. local standard time. The radiant is close to the ecliptic, the band the Sun, Moon and planets follow, so it gets well up from every state. IMO notes that northern-hemisphere observers have a slight advantage because the radiant stays high for much of the night.

The rates are low, so the experience is about patience: a comfortable chair, a wide view of the sky, and an hour or two of watching. Don’t stare at Taurus itself; scan the sky around it. Slow meteors that trace back toward the Pleiades area are probably Taurids. A faster meteor coming from just north of Orion’s shoulder is more likely a November Orionid, a weak shower active late in the month, according to IMO.

The Leonids overlap the Northern Taurids in mid-November. Leonids come from Leo, rising after midnight, and are among the fastest meteors of the year, so the two are easy to tell apart.

Notable history

IMO’s analyses suggest that the Northern Taurid maximum is not sharp. Rates have appeared to hold at a plateau for about ten days in early to mid November, so a single peak date can be misleading. Watching on any dark night in that window is as good as watching on the listed date.

The Taurid complex as a whole has produced notable fireball years. NASA’s meteor office flagged 2015 as a possible Taurid swarm year, when Earth was expected to meet a group of pebble-sized fragments and bright fireballs might become more frequent from late October into the first half of November.

2026 and 2027 outlook

2026. IMO puts the Northern Taurid maximum around November 12. The new Moon on November 9 gives undisturbed dark skies, especially between the two Taurid maxima in early November and around the Northern peak.

2027. IMO lists the maximum around November 13, one day before full Moon in IMO’s moon table, so moonlight will brighten the sky for almost the whole night. Nights earlier in the plateau, in the first week of November, have less moonlight. The rest of the year is on our 2027 calendar.