The Taurids are an annual meteor shower, associated with the comet Encke. The Taurids are actually two separate showers, with a Southern and a Northern component. The Southern Taurids originated from Comet Encke, while the Northern Taurids originated from the asteroid 2004 TG10, possibly a large fragment of Encke due to its similar orbital parameters.[4][5] They are named after their radiant point in the constellation Taurus, where they are seen to come from in the sky. Because of their occurrence in late October and early November, they are also called Halloweenfireballs.
Encke and the Taurids are believed to be remnants of a much larger comet, which has disintegrated over the past 20,000 to 30,000 years,[6] breaking into several pieces and releasing material by normal cometary activity or perhaps occasionally by close encounters with the tidal force of Earth or other planets (Whipple, 1940; Klačka, 1999). In total, this stream of matter is the largest in the inner Solar System. Since the meteor stream is rather spread out in space, Earth takes several weeks to pass through it, causing an extended period of meteor activity, compared with the much smaller periods of activity in other showers. The Taurids are also made up of weightier material, pebbles instead of dust grains.[7]
Typically, Taurids appear at a rate of about 5 per hour, moving slowly across the sky at about 28 kilometers per second (17 mi/s), or 100,800 km/h (65,000 mph).[7] If larger than a pebble, these meteors may become bolides as bright as the Moon and leave behind smoke trails.[7]
Due to the gravitational perturbations of planets, especially Jupiter, the Taurids have spread out over time, allowing separate segments labeled the Northern Taurids (NTA) and Southern Taurids (STA) to become observable. The Southern Taurids are active from about September 10 to November 20, while the Northern Taurids are active from about October 20 to December 10. Essentially these are two cross sections of a single, broad, continuous stream in space. The Beta Taurids and Zeta Perseids, encountered by the Earth in June/July, are also cross sections of the stream that approach from the Earth's daytime side and, as such, cannot be observed visually in the way the (night-time) Northern and Southern Taurids of October/November can. Astronomers Duncan Steel and Bill Napier even suggest the Beta Taurids could be the cause of the Tunguska event of June 30, 1908.[8]
In 1962 and 1963, the Mars 1 probe recorded one micrometeorite strike every two minutes at altitudes ranging from 6,000 to 40,000 km (3,700 to 24,900 mi) from Earth's surface due to the Taurids meteor shower, and also recorded similar densities at distances from 20 to 40 million kilometres (12,000,000 to 25,000,000 mi) from Earth.[9][10]
The Taurid stream has a cycle of activity that peaks roughly every 2,500 to 3,000 years,[8] when the core of the stream passes nearer to Earth and produces more intense showers. In fact, because of the separate "branches" (night-time in one part of the year and daytime in another; and Northern/Southern in each case) there are two (possibly overlapping) peaks separated by a few centuries, every 3000 years. The next peak is expected around 3000 AD.[8]
The Taurids also have more frequent peaks which may result from a heavier concentration of material in the stream, which only encounter Earth during some passes.
Fireballs
Over Poland in 1995, all-sky cameras imaged an absolute magnitude –17 Taurid bolide that was estimated to be 900 kg and perhaps a meter in diameter.[11]
In 1993, it was predicted that there would be a swarm of activity in 2005.[7] Around Halloween in 2005, many fireballs were witnessed that affected people's night vision.[7] Astronomers have taken to calling these the "Halloween fireballs."[7] During the Southern Taurid meteor shower in 2013, fireball sightings were spotted over southern California, Arizona, Nevada, and Utah.[12]Mark Boslough and Peter Brown hypothesized that 2019 [needs update]was be a good year to check for a Taurid swarm that may even generate a concentration of daytime fireballs in June/July 2019. The Tunguska event may have been caused by a Beta Taurid.[13] A 2021 study by Ignacio Ferrín and Vincenzo Orofino catalogued 88 probable members of the swarm and showed that many such as the 2212 Hephaistos group and the 169P/NEAT group exhibit cometary activity.[14][15]
Northern Taurid bolide photographed from Skibotn, Norway December 4, 2020 14:30 CET.[16]
A brief flash of light from a lunarimpact event was recorded by NASA scientist Rob Suggs and astronomer Bill Cooke on November 7, 2005, while testing a new 250 mm (10 in) telescope and video camera they had built to monitor the Moon for meteor strikes.[19] After consulting star charts, they concluded that the impact body was likely part of the Taurid meteor shower. This may be the first photographic record of such a strike, which some witnesses claim to have visually observed on rare occasions.[20]
^Beth Dalbey (24 October 2017). "Taurids Meteor Shower Fireballs: Peak Dates, What To Expect". Retrieved 11 November 2017.
^Porubčan, V.; Kornoš, L.; Williams, I. P. (June 2006). "The Taurid complex meteor showers and asteroids". Contributions of the Astronomical Observatory Skalnaté Pleso. 36 (2): 103–117. arXiv:0905.1639. Bibcode:2006CoSka..36..103P. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
^Babadzhanov, P. B.; Williams, I. P.; Kokhirova, G. I. (2008). "Near-Earth Objects in the Taurid complex". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 386 (3): 1436–1442. Bibcode:2008MNRAS.386.1436B. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2008.13096.x.
^ abcdefDr. Tony Phillips (2005-11-03). "Earth is orbiting through a swarm of space debris that may be producing an unusual number of nighttime fireballs". NASA Science News.
^ abcMeteor Shower Promises Seven Shooting Stars an Hour – National Geographic News (November 7, 2003)
^Robbins, Stuart (2008). ""Journey Through the Galaxy" Mars Program: Mars ~ 1960-1974". SJR Design. Retrieved 2014-01-26.
^Mihos, Chris (11 January 2006). . Department of Astronomy, Case Western Reserve University. Archived from the original on 13 October 2013. Retrieved 2014-01-26.
^Sky News US Team (2013-11-07). "Meteor 'Fireball' Lights Up California Sky". news.sky.com. London, UK: BSkyB. Retrieved 2013-11-07.
^Joel Achenbach (2018-12-25). "Incoming! A June meteor swarm could be loaded with surprises". www.washingtonpost.com. Washington DC, US. Retrieved 2019-05-04.
^Ferrín, Ignacio; Orofino, Vincenzo (November 2021). "Taurid complex smoking gun: Detection of cometary activity". Planetary and Space Science. 207: 105306. arXiv:2011.13078. Bibcode:2021P&SS..20705306F. doi:10.1016/J.PSS.2021.105306. ISSN 0032-0633. S2CID 227210565. Wikidata Q108888402. Using the Secular Light Curve (SLC) formalism (Ferrín, 2010), we have catalogued 88 probable members of the Taurid Complex (TC). ... This high percentage of active asteroids gives support to the hypothesis of a catastrophe that took place during the Upper Paleolithic (Clube and Napier, 1984).
^Romero, James (2021-09-30). "Swarm of Near-Earth Comets Linked to Recent Ice Giant Breakup". Discover. from the original on 2021-10-14. Retrieved 2021-10-14. Together, their orbital analysis of bodies increased the complex's membership from half a dozen to 88. ... The findings are welcomed by those who believe Comet Encke and the other products of this astronomical event are responsible for many of Earth's most violent and consequential impacts over the last 20,000 years.
^Norsk meteornettverk (2020-12-04). "Flott nordlig tauride sett i Troms og Finnmark". norskmeteornettverk.no. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
Scientific articles pertaining to the Taurid complex
Northern Taurids (NTA) for 2012 (Maximum: November 12; ZHR = 5; V = 29 km/s)
Southern Taurids (STA) for 2012 (Maximum: October 10; ZHR = 5; V = 27 km/s)
January 20, 2023
taurids, confused, with, beta, annual, meteor, shower, associated, with, comet, encke, actually, separate, showers, with, southern, northern, component, southern, originated, from, comet, encke, while, northern, originated, from, asteroid, 2004, tg10, possibly. Not to be confused with Beta Taurids The Taurids are an annual meteor shower associated with the comet Encke The Taurids are actually two separate showers with a Southern and a Northern component The Southern Taurids originated from Comet Encke while the Northern Taurids originated from the asteroid 2004 TG10 possibly a large fragment of Encke due to its similar orbital parameters 4 5 They are named after their radiant point in the constellation Taurus where they are seen to come from in the sky Because of their occurrence in late October and early November they are also called Halloween fireballs Southern Taurids STA Parent body2P EnckeRadiantConstellationTaurusPropertiesOccurs duringSep 10 Nov 20Date of peakOct 10Velocity28 km sZenithal hourly rate5See also List of meteor showersNorthern Taurids NTA Parent body2004 TG10 1 2 RadiantConstellationTaurus constellation Right ascension03h 52m 3 Declination 22 3 PropertiesOccurs duringOct 20 Dec 10 3 Date of peakNov 12 3 Velocity29 3 km sZenithal hourly rate5 3 See also List of meteor showersEncke and the Taurids are believed to be remnants of a much larger comet which has disintegrated over the past 20 000 to 30 000 years 6 breaking into several pieces and releasing material by normal cometary activity or perhaps occasionally by close encounters with the tidal force of Earth or other planets Whipple 1940 Klacka 1999 In total this stream of matter is the largest in the inner Solar System Since the meteor stream is rather spread out in space Earth takes several weeks to pass through it causing an extended period of meteor activity compared with the much smaller periods of activity in other showers The Taurids are also made up of weightier material pebbles instead of dust grains 7 Contents 1 Appearance 2 Fireballs 3 Meteor impact on the Moon 4 References 5 Further reading 6 External linksAppearance EditTypically Taurids appear at a rate of about 5 per hour moving slowly across the sky at about 28 kilometers per second 17 mi s or 100 800 km h 65 000 mph 7 If larger than a pebble these meteors may become bolides as bright as the Moon and leave behind smoke trails 7 Due to the gravitational perturbations of planets especially Jupiter the Taurids have spread out over time allowing separate segments labeled the Northern Taurids NTA and Southern Taurids STA to become observable The Southern Taurids are active from about September 10 to November 20 while the Northern Taurids are active from about October 20 to December 10 Essentially these are two cross sections of a single broad continuous stream in space The Beta Taurids and Zeta Perseids encountered by the Earth in June July are also cross sections of the stream that approach from the Earth s daytime side and as such cannot be observed visually in the way the night time Northern and Southern Taurids of October November can Astronomers Duncan Steel and Bill Napier even suggest the Beta Taurids could be the cause of the Tunguska event of June 30 1908 8 In 1962 and 1963 the Mars 1 probe recorded one micrometeorite strike every two minutes at altitudes ranging from 6 000 to 40 000 km 3 700 to 24 900 mi from Earth s surface due to the Taurids meteor shower and also recorded similar densities at distances from 20 to 40 million kilometres 12 000 000 to 25 000 000 mi from Earth 9 10 The Taurid stream has a cycle of activity that peaks roughly every 2 500 to 3 000 years 8 when the core of the stream passes nearer to Earth and produces more intense showers In fact because of the separate branches night time in one part of the year and daytime in another and Northern Southern in each case there are two possibly overlapping peaks separated by a few centuries every 3000 years The next peak is expected around 3000 AD 8 The Taurids also have more frequent peaks which may result from a heavier concentration of material in the stream which only encounter Earth during some passes Fireballs EditOver Poland in 1995 all sky cameras imaged an absolute magnitude 17 Taurid bolide that was estimated to be 900 kg and perhaps a meter in diameter 11 In 1993 it was predicted that there would be a swarm of activity in 2005 7 Around Halloween in 2005 many fireballs were witnessed that affected people s night vision 7 Astronomers have taken to calling these the Halloween fireballs 7 During the Southern Taurid meteor shower in 2013 fireball sightings were spotted over southern California Arizona Nevada and Utah 12 Mark Boslough and Peter Brown hypothesized that 2019 needs update was be a good year to check for a Taurid swarm that may even generate a concentration of daytime fireballs in June July 2019 The Tunguska event may have been caused by a Beta Taurid 13 A 2021 study by Ignacio Ferrin and Vincenzo Orofino catalogued 88 probable members of the swarm and showed that many such as the 2212 Hephaistos group and the 169P NEAT group exhibit cometary activity 14 15 Northern Taurid bolide photographed from Skibotn Norway December 4 2020 14 30 CET 16 On November 11 2019 a Taurid fireball was seen over St Louis MO 17 18 Meteor impact on the Moon EditA brief flash of light from a lunar impact event was recorded by NASA scientist Rob Suggs and astronomer Bill Cooke on November 7 2005 while testing a new 250 mm 10 in telescope and video camera they had built to monitor the Moon for meteor strikes 19 After consulting star charts they concluded that the impact body was likely part of the Taurid meteor shower This may be the first photographic record of such a strike which some witnesses claim to have visually observed on rare occasions 20 References Edit Meteor showers and their parent comets pg 470 by Peter Jenniskens Moore Patrick Rees Robin 2011 Patrick Moore s Data Book of Astronomy 2nd ed Cambridge University Press p 275 ISBN 978 0 521 89935 2 a b c d e f IMO Meteor Shower Calendar 2015 Working list of visual meteor showers International Meteor Organization Retrieved 2019 06 20 Beth Dalbey 24 October 2017 Taurids Meteor Shower Fireballs Peak Dates What To Expect Retrieved 11 November 2017 Porubcan V Kornos L Williams I P June 2006 The Taurid complex meteor showers and asteroids Contributions of the Astronomical Observatory Skalnate Pleso 36 2 103 117 arXiv 0905 1639 Bibcode 2006CoSka 36 103P Retrieved 29 July 2017 Babadzhanov P B Williams I P Kokhirova G I 2008 Near Earth Objects in the Taurid complex Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 386 3 1436 1442 Bibcode 2008MNRAS 386 1436B doi 10 1111 j 1365 2966 2008 13096 x a b c d e f Dr Tony Phillips 2005 11 03 Earth is orbiting through a swarm of space debris that may be producing an unusual number of nighttime fireballs NASA Science News a b c Meteor Shower Promises Seven Shooting Stars an Hour National Geographic News November 7 2003 Robbins Stuart 2008 Journey Through the Galaxy Mars Program Mars 1960 1974 SJR Design Retrieved 2014 01 26 Mihos Chris 11 January 2006 Mars 1960 1974 Mars 1 Department of Astronomy Case Western Reserve University Archived from the original on 13 October 2013 Retrieved 2014 01 26 Meteor showers and their parent comets pg 467 by Peter Jenniskens Sky News US Team 2013 11 07 Meteor Fireball Lights Up California Sky news sky com London UK BSkyB Retrieved 2013 11 07 Joel Achenbach 2018 12 25 Incoming A June meteor swarm could be loaded with surprises www washingtonpost com Washington DC US Retrieved 2019 05 04 Ferrin Ignacio Orofino Vincenzo November 2021 Taurid complex smoking gun Detection of cometary activity Planetary and Space Science 207 105306 arXiv 2011 13078 Bibcode 2021P amp SS 20705306F doi 10 1016 J PSS 2021 105306 ISSN 0032 0633 S2CID 227210565 Wikidata Q108888402 Using the Secular Light Curve SLC formalism Ferrin 2010 we have catalogued 88 probable members of the Taurid Complex TC This high percentage of active asteroids gives support to the hypothesis of a catastrophe that took place during the Upper Paleolithic Clube and Napier 1984 Romero James 2021 09 30 Swarm of Near Earth Comets Linked to Recent Ice Giant Breakup Discover Archived from the original on 2021 10 14 Retrieved 2021 10 14 Together their orbital analysis of bodies increased the complex s membership from half a dozen to 88 The findings are welcomed by those who believe Comet Encke and the other products of this astronomical event are responsible for many of Earth s most violent and consequential impacts over the last 20 000 years Norsk meteornettverk 2020 12 04 Flott nordlig tauride sett i Troms og Finnmark norskmeteornettverk no Retrieved 2020 12 06 Bing video www bing com dead link Perlerin Vincent 12 Nov 2019 Fireball spotted over Missouri on Nov 11th 2019 American Meteor Society Retrieved 18 September 2022 BBC News Nasa team sees explosion on Moon 3 January 2006 An Eyewitness Impact Debunked Archived from the original on 2001 04 22 Further reading EditKlacka Jozef 1999 Meteor Streams of Comet Encke Taurid Meteor Complex Abstract Whipple F L 1940 Photographic meteor studies III The Taurid shower Proc Amer Phil Soc 83 711 745 External links EditNovember 2008 Taurid Meteor Fireballs Taurid Meteors To Peak Monday Fireball Sightings NASA Scientific articles pertaining to the Taurid complex Northern Taurids NTA for 2012 Maximum November 12 ZHR 5 V 29 km s Southern Taurids STA for 2012 Maximum October 10 ZHR 5 V 27 km s Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Taurids amp oldid 1122864042, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
