Skywatchers across San Antonio have a chance to catch a handful of bright fireballs overnight as the Southern Taurid meteor shower reaches a second peak. The shower, active from Sept. 20 through Nov. 20, is known less for sheer meteor counts and more for the occasional dazzling fireball streaking across the sky.
According to Space.com, this second Southern Taurid peak falls overnight from Wednesday, November 4, into Thursday, November 5, and is tied to an uptick in fireball activity, with up to five meteors per hour possible. That's a modest rate compared to showers like the Perseids, but the Taurids make up for it with brightness rather than volume. As MySA reports, San Antonio residents can view the shower this week, with NASA describing meteors as bits of rock and ice shed by comets as they loop around the sun.
Timing on exactly when the Southern Taurids crest varies by source. EarthSky puts the predicted 2026 peak at 19:00 UTC on Nov. 5, while CNN reported an estimated peak around 3 p.m. ET that same day, with the best viewing expected closer to midnight. The shower gets its name from the patch of sky in the constellation Taurus from which the meteors appear to radiate, per EarthSky's broader meteor shower guide.
No Telescope Needed, But Timing Matters
Good news for casual stargazers: special equipment isn't required to catch the show. Space.com notes that Taurid meteors can be viewed without telescopes or binoculars, since they're visible to the naked eye. The American Meteor Society advises watching most meteor showers between midnight and dawn, and EarthSky adds that the radiant is highest — and viewing conditions best — around midnight.
NASA recommends lying down in a safe, dark spot, pointing your feet northeast, and simply looking straight up to take in as much sky as possible. The American Meteor Society also notes that moonrise and moonset times can help stargazers pinpoint a darker observing window during the night.
Moon Brightness Still Up for Debate
Sources don't fully agree on how much moonlight might interfere with viewing. The American Meteor Society records the moon at 21% illumination on the Nov. 4-5 peak night, as a waning crescent. The Weather Channel, however, cites a 17%-illuminated waning crescent for the same stretch — a discrepancy the available reporting doesn't resolve. EarthSky notes separately that 2026's new moon arrives Nov. 9, meaning moonlight shouldn't meaningfully interfere with Taurid viewing this year regardless of the exact percentage on peak night.
A Second Wave Is Still to Come
The Southern Taurids aren't the only act this month. The Northern Taurids are active from Oct. 20 through Dec. 10, with their own peak still ahead. EarthSky predicts that peak for 18:00 UTC on Nov. 12, while The Weather Channel places it around Nov. 11 — another detail the sources don't fully align on, though both point to roughly the same mid-November window.
Each Taurid stream typically produces about five meteors per hour under ideal dark, moonless skies, according to EarthSky, or roughly 10 per hour when the two showers overlap. The shower occurs as Earth passes through a trail of debris left behind by a comet or asteroid, per NASA. In the Southern Taurids' case, that debris comes from comet 2P/Encke, which CNN notes has the shortest orbital period of any known comet in the solar system, circling the sun roughly every 3.3 years.
Why Fireballs Steal the Spotlight
Even though the Taurids aren't prolific, they have a reputation for producing eye-catching fireballs that vary in brightness. EarthSky reports that in most years only about 1% of Taurid meteors qualify as fireballs, though that share can climb as high as 7% in exceptional years. The American Meteor Society similarly describes the Southern Taurids as often responsible for an uptick in fireball reports from September through November.
Looking further ahead, CNN reports that Earth is predicted to pass through a denser swarm of Taurid debris in 2032, a pass NASA's Bill Cooke has said could bring many brilliant fireballs if skies cooperate. For now, San Antonio skywatchers just need a dark spot, a bit of patience, and clear skies to catch whatever the Taurids send streaking overhead this week.
