Taurid, Leonid meteor showers: When to watch November 2020 meteor shower

Two cosmic events are set to light up the night skies this month – the Taurid and Leonid meteor showers. While both Taurid and Leonid meteor showers are annual events, this year will be special as the world will witness the Leonid meteor storms, which take place only once in every 33 years.

The first meteor shower that will take place in November 2020 is the Taurid meteor shower. It is typically marked by bright fireballs; however, the number of meteors showered per hour are comparatively less.

As per the American Meteor Society (AMS), both the Southern and Northern Taurid meteor showers are active at the moment, which means, you can catch shooting stars in the night sky now. The Southern Taurid meteor shower started on September 10 and would continue till November 20, and the Northern Taurid meteor shower started on October 20 and would continue till December 10.

While the exact peak period for the two meteor showers remains unknown, the South Taurid meteor shower could be best visible on November 4 and 5, while the North Taurid meteor shower will likely be best visible on November 11 and 12.

The Leonid meteor shower will start from November 6 and continue till November 30. It will reach its peak on November 16 and 17. Around 15 to 20 meteors are expected per hour. Leonids are bright meteors and have a high percentage of persistent trains.