November may bring the cold to Indiana, but it also brings crystal clear skies for your star watching pleasure. This month, Indiana will find itself under the spell of four different meteor showers simultaneously: the Orionids, the Southern Taurids, the Northern Taurids, and the Leonids.
On clear nights all around the state, the chance for an encounter with a miraculous meteorite or streaking fireball should keep you looking up heading as we head toward winter.
Like many meteor showers, the Orionids, Southern Taurids, and the Leonids are all formed by passing comets. The Orionids originated from Halley’s Comet, the Southern Taurids with the comet Enke, and the Leonids with the more technically named Comet 55P/Temple-Tuttle. The Northern Taurids are formed by the asteroid 2004 TG10.
Broken Inaglory / Wikicommons
These meteor showers are named, not after the comets or asteroids that produce them, but from constellations in the sky they tend to appear closest to: Orion, Taurus, and Leo.
Rocky Raybell / Flickr
The Orionid showers begin in early October and extend through early November. This majestic shower tends to produce 10-20 observable meteors per hour at its peak.
Broken Inaglory / Wikicommons
The Southern Taurids appear in late September, peak in late October, and run until late November. The Northern Taurids begin in late October and continue until December.
Rocky Raybell / Flickr
When the two showers coincide, the chance of seeing a fireball rises. In 2020, the Northern Taurids are projected to peak between the 11th and the 12th of November. There is supposed to be low moonlight these nights as well, so this might be a great chance to catch some comet dust.
Mike Lewinski / Flickr
The Leonids have off-years and on-years, and the next big burst of activity is still supposed to be more than a decade out. Even so, the meteor shower will still spangle the sky this year, if more mildly. It should peak just after the Northern Taurids, the night of November 15th, on an especially dark night when the moon is almost new.
Down To Earth / Organization Website
Call it a cosmic conspiracy, but with these four meteor showers meeting at once in the night sky, November seems made for stargazing. In Indiana, the best way to catch meteor showers is to drive out to the country just before dawn, or pitch camp in a park with a view of the sky. Of course, if you live in the country, all you need to do is walk outside. Sometimes you have to improvise; when I was a kid, I would climb onto our roof so I could see above the trees to watch the stars.
Broken Inaglory / Wikicommons
Rocky Raybell / Flickr
Mike Lewinski / Flickr
Down To Earth / Organization Website
As long as you’re away from the light pollution of the big city, it shouldn’t take wishing for you to see a falling star when these four meteor showers meet in November.
What’s been your must stunning encounter with the heavenly bodies over the Hoosier state? What’s your best Indiana stargazing escape for when you need time to contemplate the infinite expanse? We love hearing your stories and seeing your photos. Get in touch!
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