You can watch for slow Southern Taurid shooting stars tonight, with the young Moon slipping away early. (Royal Observatory; Moon timetable)
- Southern Taurid meteors: Once darkness settles in after the 6:28 PM Eastern sunset, choose a broad, unobstructed view overhead. Your eyes are all you need, but spotting a meteor takes patience; the shower remains active through November 20, beyond its listed October 10 maximum (sunset timetable; Taurid viewing guide).
- A difficult crescent: If your west-southwest horizon is clear, you have only a short window after sunset before the Moon sets at 6:38 PM Eastern. With sunset just ten minutes earlier, do not count on spotting the thin sliver in the bright twilight. These times use our reference near Allentown, Pennsylvania (sunset timetable; Moon timetable).
The Taurids are a modest shower, with about five meteors per hour listed at maximum under favorable conditions. Tonight is not a promise of that rate, so bring a comfortable chair and enjoy a patient watch (Taurid viewing guide).
Moon note: Waxing crescent, growing after new Moon; next rise is 9:22 AM Eastern tomorrow, October 12, at our reference location (Moon timetable).
Enjoy a little time under the sky, and join the free NOOMMED newsletter for your next backyard outing.