- The 2026 Northern Taurids peak on the night of 11 Nov–12 Nov; active 20 Oct – 10 Dec.
- Up to 5 meteors an hour in a perfect sky; on the peak night in London about 3 from a dark site, about <1 from town.
- The Moon will not interfere: the sky will be dark.
- The radiant is in Taurus, highest around 00:30.
- Source: 2P/Encke; speed 29 km/s.
When to look in 2026
The Northern Taurids are active from 20 Oct to 10 Dec. The curve shows activity rising and falling, the dots under it how much of the Moon is lit each night.
Night by night
For each night the best hour is computed: the radiant high, the sky dark, the Moon in the way least. A dark site means out of town where the faintest stars show; town means a bright suburban sky.
| Night | ZHR | Moon | Best | Dark site | Town |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 5 Nov | 3 | 11 % | 01:00 | 2 | <1 |
| Fri 6 Nov | 3 | 5 % | 01:00 | 2 | <1 |
| Sat 7 Nov | 4 | 2 % | 00:40 | 2 | <1 |
| Sun 8 Nov | 4 | 0 % | 00:40 | 2 | <1 |
| Mon 9 Nov | 4 | 1 % | 00:40 | 2 | <1 |
| Tue 10 Nov | 5 | 3 % | 00:40 | 3 | <1 |
| Wed 11 NovPeakmost meteors | 5 | 7 % | 00:40 | 3 | <1 |
| Thu 12 Nov | 5 | 13 % | 00:20 | 3 | <1 |
| Fri 13 Nov | 4 | 19 % | 00:20 | 3 | <1 |
| Sat 14 Nov | 4 | 27 % | 00:20 | 2 | <1 |
| Sun 15 Nov | 4 | 36 % | 00:00 | 2 | <1 |
| Mon 16 Nov | 4 | 45 % | 00:00 | 2 | <1 |
| Tue 17 Nov | 3 | 55 % | 00:00 | 2 | <1 |
Where to look
The meteors fly out of the radiant in Taurus. In London it rises around 16:30 and is highest while dark, 60°, around 00:30.
You do not have to look at the radiant itself: meteors appear all over the sky, and the longest ones 40–60° away from it. Lie back, take in as much sky as you can and stay with it for 20–30 minutes so your eyes adapt.
Where they come from
The Northern Taurids are the same Comet Encke (2P/Encke) dust complex as the Southern Taurids, just another branch of it. The two branches overlap, so Taurids are in the sky for nearly three months in autumn.
History
The Northern Taurids peak in mid-November, as the Southern branch fades. Together the two give about 10 meteors an hour, and in swarm years many bright fireballs.
What they look like and how to watch
Northern Taurids are slow (29 km/s) and bright. The radiant in Taurus, near the Pleiades, is highest around midnight. Long November nights make a good time to watch, when the Moon allows.
How many meteors you will really see
The ZHR (5) is how many meteors an observer would see in an hour in a perfectly dark sky with the radiant straight overhead. The real count is always lower: the lower the radiant, the more meteors stay below the horizon, and every step of sky brightness hides the faintest ones.
This page uses the International Meteor Organization formula: hourly rate = ZHR × sine of the radiant altitude ÷ r^(6.5 − limiting magnitude). For this shower r = 2.3. A dark site is taken as showing stars to magnitude 6.0, a town to 4.5; moonlight takes off up to 1.8 magnitudes.
How to photograph a meteor
You need a camera with manual mode and a tripod. Wide-angle lens (14–24 mm), aperture wide open (f/1.8–f/2.8), ISO 1600–3200, exposures of 15–25 seconds. Focus manually on a bright star and tape the ring.
Shoot continuously with an intervalometer or remote, frame after frame for an hour or more. Meteors are random, so patience wins: one or two an hour is a normal catch. Aim 40–60° from the radiant, above the glow of the horizon.
Dates in the coming years
| Year | Peak | Moon |
|---|---|---|
| 2027 | Friday · 12 November 2027 | 97 % |
| 2028 | Saturday · 11 November 2028 | 28 % |
| 2029 | Sunday · 11 November 2029 | 41 % |
| 2030 | Monday · 11 November 2030 | 96 % |
| 2031 | Wednesday · 12 November 2031 | 6 % |
| 2032 | Thursday · 11 November 2032 | 66 % |
Other meteor showers
Questions people ask
When are the Northern Taurids in 2026?
The peak is on the night of 11 Nov–12 Nov. The shower is active from 20 Oct to 10 Dec, so meteors show for several nights before and after.
What time is best?
In London on the peak night, around 00:40, when the radiant is 60° up and the Moon interferes least.
How many meteors will I see?
A ZHR of 5 is the perfect-sky figure. In London on the peak night expect about 3 an hour from a dark site and about <1 from town.
Which way should I look?
Meteors come from the direction of Taurus but appear all over the sky. Look 40–60° away from the radiant, at the darkest part of the sky.
What causes the Northern Taurids?
Dust left by 2P/Encke. The Earth crosses the stream at the same time every year, and the grains burn up in the atmosphere at 29 km/s.
Will the Moon get in the way?
The Moon will not interfere: the sky will be dark.
- International Meteor Organization, Meteor Shower Calendar: activity periods, solar longitudes of the peaks, ZHR, population index.
- IMO Visual Observing Handbook: the hourly rate formula (ZHR, radiant altitude, limiting magnitude).
- Astronomy Engine (Don Cross): positions of the Sun, the Moon and the radiant.
- JPL Small-Body Database: comet and asteroid orbits.
The peak date is computed from the Sun's ecliptic longitude. The activity curve is the IMO model ZHR(λ) = ZHRmax · 10^(−B·|λ − λmax|). For each night the radiant altitude and the Sun and Moon are computed every 20 minutes; the hour with the highest expected count is shown.