The Northern Taurids: When and How to Watch

There are two Taurid showers, not one, running weeks apart and overlapping in the middle. This is the second half, the one that peaks in mid-November after its southern counterpart has already been running for a month, and it carries the same low count and the same outsized reputation for fireballs.

When the Northern Taurids run and peak

Our sky map lists the Northern Taurids active October 20 through December 10, peaking the night of November 11 into the 12th. The International Meteor Organization's 2026 calendar puts the peak at November 12, which lines up closely with our page's date. The rates agree too: both our record and IMO's current figures give this shower a ZHR of 5, one of the lowest baseline rates of any shower on this calendar.

A real wrinkle in who the parent actually is

Both our page and most outside sources describe the Northern Taurids as coming from comet 2P Encke, the same parent as the Southern branch. That framing, "the Encke Complex," is the safe and well-supported one. But at least one source specifically names the asteroid 2004 TG10 as the Northern Taurids' parent body, describing it as a probable large fragment of Encke rather than debris from the comet directly. This is not a clean contradiction so much as a difference in how specific you want to get: saying both Taurid branches trace back to the breakup of Encke is solid ground, while pinning the Northern branch to one named asteroid fragment specifically is a more precise claim that not every source backs with the same confidence. Worth knowing if you see it stated as settled fact elsewhere, because it is closer to an informed hypothesis.

Why a ZHR of 5 still produces memorable meteors

Zenithal hourly rate describes the count an ideal observer would see with the radiant directly overhead and a sky dark enough to reach magnitude 6.5, roughly the top edge of a rural to suburban transition sky. At a ZHR of 5, the difference between the ideal count and what you will actually see barely matters, you are looking at a handful of meteors an hour in the best case. What makes the Northern Taurids worth the trouble anyway is the same thing that makes the Southern branch worth it: an unusually rich share of large, slow, bright fragments that produce fireballs out of proportion to the shower's low hourly count.

The overlap with the Southern branch

By mid-November the Southern Taurids are winding down while the Northern Taurids are near their own peak, and for a few weeks both streams are active at once. Observers refer to this combined stretch as Taurid fireball season informally, since the odds of catching one dramatic bright meteor go up even while the ordinary hourly rate from either shower stays low. If you already went out for the Southern Taurids in October, this is the same general project continuing into November.

The meteors move slowly, and that matters for what you'll notice

Northern Taurid meteors travel at roughly 29 kilometers a second, close to the same slow pace as the Southern branch. Slow meteors give your eye more time to actually register the streak rather than catching only a flash at the edge of vision, which is part of why this shower, despite its low count, tends to produce meteors people remember rather than ones they half-see and doubt afterward.

Where to look, and why an early evening works here too

Taurus is already up for a good stretch of the evening in November, which means you do not need to wait for a late or pre-dawn window the way many other showers demand. Face generally toward Taurus rather than fixating on the exact radiant point, and give your eyes a genuine ten to fifteen minutes away from any phone screen or porch light before you start actually watching, since a faint Northern Taurid at a ZHR this low is easy to lose without properly dark-adapted vision.

What this means for you tonight

Because the peak is broad and the two Taurid branches overlap, do not wait for one perfect night. Pick any clear evening from late October through late November, face generally toward Taurus as it climbs after dark, and give it a real twenty to thirty minutes rather than a five-minute glance, since a shower this sparse rewards patience more than timing precision.

Taurus itself, the constellation both Taurid branches share, is covered at the Taurus constellation post. The earlier half of this same debris stream is covered at the Southern Taurids post. Before you head out, check how light pollution affects what you'll actually see, and use the sky map to find Taurus from your own location.