South Taurid Meteor Shower

[BenM (Ben)]

Is anyone planning on checking out the Taurid meteor shower tonight?? I herd best viewing is just after midnight??? those of you that have seen it previously is it worth a look?

[noeyedeer (Matt)]

hi Ben

with an average of 5 per hour and at a height of 45 degrees (possibly lower in Sydney) I wouldnt be bothered. thou the northern taurids follow behind it slightly lower again. the orionids with 25 per hour is what I'd stay up for but that'd be around 2:30.

there's 3 streams relatively close so it may be worthwhile but their altitude kinda is a bit low

matt

[gaa_ian (Ian)]

We were out doing an observing night last night out in western Qld. I had not seen any meteor showers on my Calendar, so i was surprised to see a very bright and slow meteor rising up from the NE against the twilight navy blue sky around 7pm .... WOW. We proceeded to see 6 bright slow meteors over the next 2 hrs & several fainter ones from this radiant.
I suspected a Taurid Meteor stream and this was confirmed (Northern Taurids) with a check in Star Walk when I got back home around 9pm
I will be going out again tonight with a comfortable chair, just for the last night of the peak of this meteor shower. I would rate this up with the Persids for the spectacular display (if not as many) of larger than usual meteors from Comet Enke.

[ZeroID (Brent)]

Originally Posted by noeyedeer

hi Ben

with an average of 5 per hour and at a height of 45 degrees (possibly lower in Sydney) I wouldnt be bothered. thou the northern taurids follow behind it slightly lower again. the orionids with 25 per hour is what I'd stay up for but that'd be around 2:30.

there's 3 streams relatively close so it may be worthwhile but their altitude kinda is a bit low

matt

The 45* is the radiant angle Matt. Meteors will appear to originate from that point but may be anywhere in the sky radiating out from there.

[gaa_ian (Ian)]

Went out for a look last night but saw none in 1/2 an hr or so around 9pm. For this shower, I think we got the best of it the previous night.

[doppler (Rick)]

A few of us from the Mackay tropicalstargazers group were having a viewing session on sat 15th and must have caught a tail end blast from that shower. Personally I saw three bright slow moving meteors in a half hour period from around 8.30. We were trying to work out if there was a meteor shower due, it must have been taurids (they were all coming from the east) and the leonids would be much later in the night. A bit later in the evening we all saw a bright slow moving "meteor" come in from the south east travelling across the sky to the north west, this one lasted 4 to 5 seconds and a few of us thought it might have been space junk re-entering?

Rick

[gaa_ian (Ian)]

I am glad someone else saw some taurids !
I think it is a great meteor shower to plan an observing night around.
Few in number, but slow enought to the another "Look Meteor"