Southern Taurids Meteor Shower
By : John Whitworth / Updated : Jul 16th, 2026 23:49
Contents
How to find the Southern Taurids Meteor Shower
Although called the Southern Taurids, it doesn't mean that the meteor shower is for the Southern Hemisphere, it just means that it is more south of the two meteor showers. The related meteor shower is the Northern Taurids which occurs at the same time. Both meteor showers have different sources but are roughly located in the same location of night sky.
A hint to where to look is to spot where Orion is holding his shield and see which way he is pointing. Taurus appears in the night sky so this hint wll only work latter in the night when both constellations are visible.
Northern Hemisphere
The meteor shower can be seen shortly after it gets dark in an easterly direction. It will be visible in the night sky until Sun light blocks it when it rises. The radiant point will move in a south and then west direction.
Southern Hemisphere
The meteor shower will appear about 9 p.m. in the evening in a north-easterly direction where it will then move across the sky. It will not reach very high in the sky but will be low down. It should be visible until it gets light when Sun light will block it out.
The Solar Longitude (Abbrev: S.L., λ ☉) is 216 degrees, this value is the the date of maximum activity. It is measured as a degree with zero degree indicating spring equinox (roughly March 21st/22nd). 90 is the Summer Solstice, 180 is the Autumn Equinox and 270 is the Winter Solstice. This degree is independent of the calendar. AMS.
Southern Taurids Zenith Hourly Rate
The Zenith Hourly Rate or how many you expect to see during the hour is 5. The ZHR can radically increase if the comet or associated object is close by. The speed/velocity of the Southern Taurids Meteor Shower particles is 27 km/s.
The population index of the Southern Taurids meteor shower is 2. The population index refers to the magnitude distribution of the meteorites, the smaller the index, the brighter the meteors are, the higher, the dimmer the meteors are. For this particular meteor shower, faint meteors are more frequent.
