Meteor Shower
About
Northern Taurids Meteor Shower
A week after its southern counterpart peaks, the Northern Taurid stream — the second half of the debris trail left by comet 2P/Encke — reaches its own maximum on the night of November 11–12, 2026. This year the timing lines up almost perfectly with the New Moon on November 9: by peak night the moon is just a 7-percent sliver that sets in the early evening, leaving the entire night dark and moon-free.
Like the Southern Taurids, this is a quality-over-quantity shower with only about five meteors an hour under ideal conditions, moving slowly at roughly 17 miles a second. But the Taurids as a whole produce a far higher share of fireballs than any other annual shower — long, brilliant, sometimes colorful streaks that can outshine every star in the sky. With dark skies guaranteed this year and no moonlight to compete with, 2026 is shaping up to be one of the better years to watch. The radiant near Taurus climbs highest around midnight.
Best Places to Experience
Northern Taurids Meteor Shower
Dark-sky destinations that pair well with this celestial moment.
Death Valley National Park, California
The largest International Dark Sky Park in the world — a vast desert basin far enough from any city that most of the night sky above the valley floor is close to pristine.
Kerry International Dark-Sky Reserve, Ireland
One of only four Gold Tier Dark Sky Reserves on Earth, and the first in the Northern Hemisphere. Roughly 700 square kilometers of the Iveragh Peninsula are protected, from Waterville to Valentia Island.
Pic du Midi, French Pyrenees
France and Europe's first Dark Sky Reserve, anchored by a working observatory at 2,877 meters, reached by cable car from the valley below and once used by NASA to map the Moon ahead of the Apollo landings.
Warrumbungle National Park, Australia
Australia's first Dark Sky Park, sitting beside Siding Spring Observatory — home to the Anglo-Australian Telescope, the country's largest — on the edge of a national park built from ancient volcanic spires.
Where to Stay
Resorts and lodges suited for turning the event into a full night-sky trip.
The Inn at Death Valley, Furnace Creek — a historic AAA Four-Diamond desert resort inside the national park, with ranger-led astronomy nights just steps from the rooms.
Parknasilla Resort & Spa, Sneem — a 500-acre coastal estate on the Ring of Kerry with a full spa and private beach, once a favorite of Charlie Chaplin, Grace Kelly, and Charles de Gaulle.
Warrumbungles Mountain Motel, Coonabarabran — the best-equipped stay near the park and a short drive from Siding Spring Observatory.
What to Do
• Twilight terrain walk — explore dramatic daytime landscapes — desert badlands, coastal cliffs, a mountain summit, or ancient volcanic spires.
• Observatory day visit — a daytime tour of a real working observatory — Pic du Midi or Siding Spring among them — with a look at the instruments that study these same dark skies professionally.
• Fireball photography session — guided long-exposure technique for catching Taurid fireballs, often the brightest meteors of the year, against the backdrop of the Milky Way.
• Regional dinner beneath the stars — plan an evening meal built around local ingredients and tradition, timed to end just as the sky turns properly dark.
What to Bring
• Warm layers — desert nights can drop close to freezing, and Pic du Midi's summit runs colder still — pack for winter regardless of the daytime forecast.
• Reclining chair or ground pad — Taurids are slow and sparse, so comfort matters more than quick reflexes.
• Red light — a red-beam flashlight or headlamp preserves night vision between fireballs.
• Wide-angle camera and tripod — Taurid fireballs are bright enough to capture even without a star tracker, especially under this year's moon-free skies.
Your Night, Hour by Hour
How the night unfolds, from first dark to first light
FIRST
Dusk: Watch the Moon Leave
Two nights after the November 9 New Moon, a thin crescent only about 7 percent lit hangs low in the west after sunset, then follows the sun down. Once it's gone, you have one of the darkest skies of the autumn. Set up facing south with a wide, open view, and keep screens away while your eyes adjust.
NEXT
Early Evening: Taurus Rises
Taurus climbs above the eastern horizon, led by the Pleiades star cluster. With so little moonlight, faint meteors from other active showers show up tonight too, so not every streak you see will be a Taurid. The slow, bright ones usually are. Settle in with something warm; patience is the whole strategy for this shower.
THEN
Mid-Evening to Midnight: The Fireball Window
The radiant rides high across the southern sky, the heart of the Northern Taurids window. Rates are low, about 5 meteors per hour, so patience matters more than position. The payoff is quality: slow meteors at around 29 km/s, with a strong share of fireballs that glide rather than flash, sometimes long enough to point out to a friend.
FINALLY
After Midnight: The Winter Sky Arrives
The Taurids move past their best window, but the sky has more to show. Orion and the winter constellations now fill the southeast, and a moonless sky like tonight's shows faint stars most nights hide. If you brought a camera, this is the time for wide-field night-sky shots that moonlight usually inhibits.
Make the most of this dark-sky event.