The double autumn meteor shower will be visible again next week.
What generosity Comet 2P/Enckewhich, when touching (at cosmic distances) the Earth, gives two periods of meteor showers, so that no one misses the opportunity to contemplate its passage.
His tail measures between 300,000 and a million kilometersmuch less than other comets. But it has a peculiarity: it splits into two large branches that cross the Earth’s orbit, which is why it produces this curious phenomenon of double observation.
The first period is known as Southern Tauridsbecause its radiant is in the lowest region of the constellation Taurus (hence its name); while the second one, Northern TauridsThe radiant is located slightly north of this constellation.
Ideal time to see Southern Taurida
Peak activity Southern Taurids corresponds November 5. Early morning of the previous day or around midnight is the ideal time to see the comet’s dust particles ignite in an ephemeral flash as they touch the atmosphere at speeds of over 100,000 km/h. If you’re lucky, the biggest specks of dust will turn into racing cars and make the sky light up with a flash of light.
For tonight AEMET predicts that Andalusia, Galicia and the Balearic Islands will have clear skywith clouds in the rest of the country. Fortunately, the moon will be crescent quarterso even though it is visible in the sky, it will not be too bright.
how and where to see the Southern Taurids
To watch this meteor shower, you need to look east and find the constellation Orion; more precisely, where is the famous belt formed by stars located? Alnilam, Alnitak and MintakaNasanet reports. Above this formation is the constellation Taurusthe visual epicenter of most of these shooting stars.
In order not to get lost in the labyrinths of the sky, it is proposed to use applications such as Star Walk 2, Sky Safari or Star Map which help you quickly find stars, planets or any other space object.
When searching for surveillance sites, it is recommended to choose areas free of light pollution and obstructions such as trees and buildings. In Spain there are several sites classified as Star Reserve because they have ideal conditions for viewing the night sky.
Some of them are National Park Sierra Nevada in Granada, Monfrag in Caceres, National Park Teide in Tenerife, vicinity of the observatory Rock boys in La Palma, Sierra de Gredos in Avila, Veles in Almeria, Sierra de las Nieves in Malaga or mountain range Montsec in Lleida and others.
Wherever it is, you will have to be patient, bring a blanket, coffee and chairs to make the night’s wait more comfortable, and wait for the Southern Taurids meteor shower to arrive.