Taurid Meteor Shower 2024: Here's the best time to look out for shooting stars in Scotland and where to look

There's a good chance to see shooting stars in the skies above Scotland this week...if the weather behaves. | Canva/Getty Images

Every year meteor showers see thousands of meteors generated by a passing comets burn up in Earth’s atmosphere every hour.

Some are more spectacular shows than others, with the best seeing thousands of shooting stars light up the night sky.

One of the few benefits of the longer and darker winter nights now upon us is that it gives you more of a chance to enjoy these celestial events.

And the next one is nearly here - the Taurid meteor shower.

Here’s what you need to know.

What is a shooting star?

A shooting star is simply what happens when a piece of matter, known as a meteor, burns up as it enters the Earth’s atmosphere, leaving a bright trail behind it. Despite the name, they have nothing in common with the other stars in the night sky.

What is a meteor shower?

Meteors are created when a meteoroid (small space rock) enters the Earth’s upper atmosphere, which causes it to quickly heat up due to friction from the air.

This heat causes the gases around the rock to glow brightly, causing it to become a meteor which can be seen from Earth.

When a number are seen within a short period of time it is classed as a meteor shower, usually caused by the Earth passing through the stream of dust left behind by a comet.

The vast majority of meteors burn up completely in the Earth’s atmosphere and are no bigger than a grain of rice.

Occasionally far larger meteoroid enter the atmosphere – usually huge pieces of rock that have broken off a steroid – and land on the surface of the Earth.

These are called meteorites and the largest ever recorded is called Hoba, weighing in at a hefty 60 tonnes.

It is thought to have landed in Namibia around 80,000 years ago, and can still be seen in the exact spot it landed all those years ago.

The most dramatic meteor showers see thousands of shooting stars streak across the night sky every hour.

What causes the Taurid meteor shower?

The Taurid meteor shower is caused by ice and dust debris that breaks away from Comet Encke as it passes through our solar system. The comet completes an orbit of the Sun once every 3.3 years, which is the shortest orbit of any known comet. Meteors from Encke tend to be larger and slower than those created by the likes of the Perseids

When is the best time to catch the Taurid meteor shower?

Encke's debris stream is so enormous that it takes Earth a large amount of time to pass through it, creating two peaks in the Southern Taurids (which has previously peaked) and the upcoming Northern Taurids.

The Northern Taurids are active from around October 13 to December 2, but will peak from November 11-12. Around midnight is the best time to start looking.

What will the Taurid meteor shower look like?

Don’t expect to see hundreds of shooting stars flash across the sky every few minute. The Taurids tend to generate around five shooting stars every hour, but they are particularly bright. Occasionally a particularly large piece of debris can create a fireball that shoots across the sky - a particularly rare and amazing sight.

Where is the best place to watch a meteor shower?

As with most celestial events you want to be somewhere away from light pollution with a clear view of the entire (crucially cloudless) sky.

Resist the temptation to look at your phone, as this stops your eyes adjusting to the dark.

The meteors will appear from the Taurus constellation which will be highest in the sky at around midnight. To find it look for Orion, then move your eyes to the north-eart to find the red star Aldebaran which is the eye of the bull-shaped pattern of starts. A mobile phone app like Star Walk will help you track down the perfect spot to gaze at.

Will I be able to see them?

As ever, the biggest enemy of the stargazer is the unpredictable Scottish weather. Quite a bit of cloud is forecast over the next couple of days but that could all change, and there seems to be a decent chance of a few gaps in the cloud, particularly on Tuesday night.