TAMPA, Fla. — November is known for elections, Thanksgiving and holiday shopping, but the sky has lots to give this month as well. This includes several meteor showers and a lunar eclipse!
The South Taurids meteor shower peaks November 4-5, according to EarthSky.org. The South Taurids are active from late September to late November but are peaking now. Unfortunately, the light of the bright waning gibbous moon will accompany the peak of the South Taurids.
This meteor shower rarely produces more than five meteors per hour, but the Taurus are know to produce occasional bright fireballs.
A fireball is another term for a very bright meteor, generally brighter than magnitude -4, which is about the same magnitude of the planet Venus.
About a week later, the North Taurids peak on the night of November 11-12. Again, there typically isn’t a great number of meteors produce per hour, but bright fireballs are possible.
The best time to look for Taurids is after midnight when Taurus is high in the sky,
The following week, on the night of November 16-17, the Leonid meteor shower peaks. Stargazers will see 15 to 20 meteors per hour. The best viewing time will be from midnight until dawn. In 2020, the new moon on November 15 brings a dark sky for several nights. The peak number of meteors are expected to fall in the dark hours before dawn on Tuesday, Nov. 17.
The moon will also look slightly darker for a penumbral lunar eclipse on Nov. 30. It will be visible throughout the Americas, Australia and most of Asia. It will begin in Tampa Bay on Nov. 30 at 2:32:22 am, while peaking at 4:42:53 am.
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