NASA posted about the "meteors of Halloween" that would show themselves to the people of Earth this week as our planet passes through the cometary debris of a large comet that broke up tens of thousands of years ago.
In a Facebook post, the space agency's 'Meteor Watch' said that every year around this time, our planet spends a few months passing through the wide stream of debris. Astronomers and skywatchers can spend this time enjoying watching Taurid meteor showers, which are considered "low activity" showers.
Taurid Meteor Showers
This means that there would only be a few meteors appearing in the sky every hour, which makes them harder to spot. But while they are normally rarely seen from Earth, astronomers noted that these meteor showers are "bright and noticeable."
The orbits of Taurid meteors are determined by the gravity of other planets that are in our solar system, mainly Jupiter. In some years, there have been changes in the meteors' orbits that caused an increase in the number of cosmic objects that get close to our planet and become visible, as per the Miami Herald.
The sudden increase in the number of meteors leads to what astronomers call a "Taurid swarm" and is when the number of fireballs rises and can be seen by almost everyone on Earth. In 2022, our planet is expected to experience a Taurid swarm as the last time that the meteor shower was visible was back in 2015 and will not be expected to be seen until 2032.
Experts noted that the increase in activity of the meteor showers usually occurs in the last week of October and the first week of November. This means that Taurid swarms have been given the moniker "the meteors of Halloween."
Meteors of Halloween
According to NASA, the dust associated with the comet strikes the Earth's atmosphere at roughly 65,000 miles per hour, which burns up and results in the Taurid meteor shower. In a statement, the lead for the NASA Meteoroid Environments Office, Bill Cooke, said that the annual Taurid meteor shower is currently happening and there is a steady activity in meteor cameras.
The Taurid meteors become visible to us at any time that the constellation Taurus is above the horizon during the months of September, October, and November. Experts noted that the best time to watch the showers is after midnight, as this is when Taurus is high in the sky and when the sky is dark, clear, and free of moonlight that masks the fainter meteors.
While there would be a large number of meteors approaching our planet, they are nothing that threatens Earth. They are considered oversized shooting stars and are usually pebble- to softball-sized pieces of space stuff that burn up in our planet's atmosphere.
The peak of the Taurid shower's activity in 2022 is expected to be on Nov. 5, but many recommend that it would be worth venturing and gazing skyward as long as possible any evening for a week on either before or after that date, CNET reported.
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