For the next week, stargazers might catch a glimpse of the Taurid meteor shower, known for its bright and colorful meteors. This annual display peaks between Nov. 5 and Nov. 12, offering a viewing window of roughly 8 to 12 meteors per hour under dark skies. Unlike most meteor showers, the Taurids are visible all night, with their radiant point highest around midnight.

The Taurids appear to radiate from the constellation Taurus, positioned low in the eastern sky after sundown and nearly overhead by 1:30 a.m. A favorable moon phase will aid viewing, with the moon setting early in the night, leaving darker skies for the meteors.

Originating from debris left by Comet Encke, the Taurids are among the slowest meteors, hitting the atmosphere at around 19 miles per second. They are distinctive for their bright, varied colors and can occasionally produce “fireballs”—particularly bright meteors—visible for several weeks.

This meteor shower is divided into Northern and Southern components, each peaking around early to mid-November and creating a broad period of visibility. The combined radiants shift from Pisces to the eastern sky, near the Pleiades. Observers spotting a slow-moving, yellowish streak away from the Pleiades can be confident they’ve witnessed a Taurid.