2026 Taurids Meteor Shower | Super Bright Fireballs

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Every year from September to November, the Earth passes through a broad stream of debris associated with Comet Encke. The dust and debris hit Earth’s atmosphere at about 65,000 mph and burn up, creating the Taurid meteor shower. Most years the shower is weak, and only a few Taurid meteors can be seen each night. In other years, the Taurids can put on a show.

The Taurid meteor shower is a long-lasting shower comprising two separate events. The North and South Taurids combine to provide a nice sprinkling of meteors throughout October and November. The showers are particularly known for producing bright fireballs, so while you won’t see a huge number of meteors, you could be rewarded with some spectacular flashes across the sky.

In 2026, the South Taurids are active from about September 10 to November 20, while the North Taurids are active from about October 20 to December 10. Both showers are especially noticeable from late October into early November, when they overlap. Each shower produces about five meteors per hour under ideal dark-sky conditions, or around 10 per hour when the two showers overlap.

The best time to watch is around midnight, when the constellation Taurus is highest in the sky. And there’s good news for 2026 skywatchers: The new moon falls on November 9, so moonlight won’t interfere with the Taurids during their prime viewing period.

South Taurids

Duration: September 10 – November 20, 2026
Predicted Peak: November 5, 2026
Best Viewing: Late evening November 4 through the early morning hours of November 5, with the best viewing around midnight.

North Taurids

Duration: October 20 – December 10, 2026
Predicted Peak: November 9, 2026
Best Viewing: Late evening November 8 through the early morning of November 9, around midnight.

Watch for Taurid Fireballs

Note: Peak dates for the Taurids can vary by source because these showers have broad, poorly defined peaks rather than a single sharp peak. For that reason, it’s worth watching throughout late October and early November rather than planning your stargazing around one specific night.

Keep watching through October and November because you could spot a Taurid fireball at any time. Taurid meteors tend to be slow-moving but can be exceptionally bright, and some break apart as they streak across the sky.

In most years, only about 1% of Taurid meteors are fireballs, but that number can rise to as much as 7% during exceptional years when Earth passes through a concentrated field of debris. The next predicted Taurid fireball swarm is expected in 2032, so 2026 isn’t expected to be an exceptional fireball year, but bright meteors are still possible.

Source: Earth Sky