Kuwait skies to witness peak of Southern Taurid meteor shower on Thursday
Taurid meteor shower can be observed not only in Kuwait but across most parts of the world — with the exception of Antarctica, where visibility is limited due to its extreme conditions.
The Kuwaiti Astronomical Society announced that the country’s skies will soon witness the peak of the Southern Taurid meteor shower, which are visible from September 23 to December 8, reaching its maximum activity on Thursday, November 6. The meteors will enter the Earth’s atmosphere at an estimated speed of 28 kilometers per second.
Adel Al-Saadoun, head of the Kuwaiti Astronomical Society and a member of the British Royal Astronomical Society, told Al-Rai that the phenomenon will be clearly visible to the naked eye, with an average of about five meteors appearing every hour. He added that the best viewing time will be from midnight until dawn, when the sky is darkest and visibility is highest.
Al-Saadoun explained that the Taurid meteor shower is divided into two components — the Southern Taurids and the Northern Taurids — which often appear around the same time each year.
The Northern Taurid meteor shower, he said, is active from October 13 to December 2, peaking on November 11, with meteors entering the atmosphere at a slightly higher speed of 30 kilometers per second and at a similar rate of about five per hour.
He noted that the shower takes its name from the constellation Taurus, where the meteors appear to originate. The Taurids are composed of tiny dust particles and rocky fragments left behind by Comet Encke, which orbits the sun once every 3.3 years. As the comet passes through its orbit, it sheds debris — dust, rocks, and gases — that remain scattered along its path.
“When the Earth, during its annual orbit around the sun, passes through this trail of debris, these particles are drawn into the atmosphere,” Al-Saadoun explained. “They burn up at an altitude of about 66 kilometers above the surface, well above the range of airplanes.”
He described the spectacular light streaks seen during meteor showers as the result of small dust particles — no larger than a handful of sand — entering the atmosphere at high speed and burning due to air compression. “They emit different colors depending on their composition,” he added, “such as iron, magnesium, copper, calcium, and potassium.”
Al-Saadoun further pointed out that Taurid meteors are generally larger than other meteor showers, allowing them to approach closer to the Earth’s surface and remain visible for longer periods before burning up completely.
He confirmed that the Taurid meteor shower can be observed not only in Kuwait but across most parts of the world — with the exception of Antarctica, where visibility is limited due to its extreme conditions.
