How To Watch 3 Meteor Showers Over Florida This November
Three meteor showers grace Florida’s November skies. Learn when and where to catch the Southern Taurids, Northern Taurids, and Leonids’ celestial light shows.
Looking up at Florida’s night sky this November might feel like watching nature’s own fireworks display. Three distinct meteor showers—the Southern Taurids, Northern Taurids, and Leonids—are preparing to dazzle viewers across the Sunshine State with their celestial light shows.
The Taurids are known for producing dramatic fireballs as Earth passes through dust from Comet Encke, while the Leonids will streak across our skies, sometimes painted in vivid colors. For space enthusiasts and casual stargazers alike, November’s cosmic calendar offers multiple chances to witness these ancient travelers in Earth’s atmosphere.
Southern Taurids: Early November’s fireball show
First up, the Southern Taurids will kick off November’s celestial show, reaching peak visibility on the night of November 4-5. While this shower isn’t known for high numbers, it makes up for quantity with quality—the Taurids are famous for producing brilliant fireballs that, as NASA meteor expert Bill Cooke explained to Space, “can be very brilliant” and “knock your eyes out.” Typically, the Taurids produce only a handful of visible meteors per hour.
Northern Taurids: Mid-Month meteor watch
The Northern Taurids will follow, peaking overnight on November 11-12. Both Taurid showers originate from Comet Encke, a relatively small comet measuring approximately 2.98 miles in diameter that takes just 3.3 years to orbit the Sun. However, viewing conditions for the Northern Taurids might be challenging this year, as the moon will be 84% illuminated, potentially washing out fainter meteors.
Leonids: The grand finale
The grand finale comes with the Leonids, considered a major meteor shower by NASA. Active from November 3, the Leonids will peak overnight between November 17 and 18. These meteors are among the fastest observed, blazing across the sky at about 44 miles per second and often displaying vibrant colors. They originate from Comet Tempel-Tuttle, which takes 33 years to complete its solar orbit.
Tips for Florida stargazers
For prime meteor-watching in Florida, choose a location as far from city lights as possible and look skyward around midnight, when the showers’ radiants are highest in the sky. Give your eyes about 30 minutes to adjust to the darkness. While the Taurids originate near the constellation Taurus (found by looking northeast of Orion), and the Leonids radiate from Leo, the key is to take in as much of the sky as possible while looking away from the meteor showers’ radiant points to catch the longest and most spectacular trails.
Before heading out, grab a reclining chair or blanket for comfort. Check local weather forecasts and the moon phase calendar, as darker skies will offer the best viewing conditions. The pre-dawn hours, when the moon has set, can provide some of the darkest skies for optimal meteor spotting.
This article may have been created with the assistance of AI.