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from the the-sky-might-actually-be-falling dept.
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Little-known meteor shower this month could have dangerous stowaways
August's Perseid meteor shower is known for being among the year's most dazzling, but a lesser-known shower in June could be the most dangerous.
The Beta Taurid meteor shower is less well known because it is considered a weak daytime shower that peaks after sunrise, making it very difficult to spot from Earth. But for at least a few decades now, some scientists have suspected that the Beta Taurids have made their presence felt in other ways in the past.
Oxford scientists published research in 1993 suggesting that the space rock behind the Tunguska Event may've been hiding among the cloud of debris left behind by Comet Encke, which is responsible for the Taurids. The little bits of dust and pebbles burn up in our atmosphere and are seen as "shooting stars." But the researchers said there's reason to believe that Encke's dust cloud also harbors bigger boulders, and that it dropped one on the Tunguska River region of Siberia in 1908.
The Tunguska Event represents perhaps the most powerful meteoroid impact with the Earth in modern times. A bolide exploded in the atmosphere over the Siberian wilderness, flattening the forest and tossing people from their chairs over 40 miles away.
[...]Related research finds that this month Earth will make its closest approach to the center of the Taurid swarm since 1975. The scientists aren't suggesting that we should worry about a Tunguska-like impact, as we'll still be 18.6 million miles (30 million kilometers) away from the swarm center.
However, there could be a "possibility of enhanced daylight fireballs and significant airbursts," later this month, according to the AGU paper.
Astronomers are hoping to take advantage of the close approach to get a better look inside the swarm to see if they can spot any large objects.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by The Shire on Thursday June 13 2019, @01:41PM (8 children)
This is click bait.
When you have nothing more than vague suspicions and wishy washy theories it's not science. Just because it's an astronomer making the vague statements doesn't give it any more wieght, in fact it gives it LESS weight because a scientist who says they "suspect" is one who has all the information and still knows the evidence isn't there. Further, the astronomer who is making these statements himself believes that the comet Enke is the source and we have a very good track on that comet - it's not coming anywhere near earth.
This is the response from one of his fellow astronomers:
This has been a click bait article for over 20 years, let's give it a rest shall we?
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 13 2019, @03:34PM (7 children)
What the scientist said and what the media said the scientist said may not be remotely the same.
(Score: 3, Funny) by bob_super on Thursday June 13 2019, @05:01PM (6 children)
We can't let that overly complex concept of "probabilities" get in the way of a good story.
Look! Squirrel ! No, wait, not good enough. Terrorist Chinese Muslim Latino Squirrel !
(Score: 2) by takyon on Thursday June 13 2019, @05:18PM (5 children)
I came here looking for alien microbes hitching a ride on meteors. We need more sensationalism, not less.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Thursday June 13 2019, @05:43PM (4 children)
Sorry, next one only has killer fungi.
Amazon Galaxy has been backordered on alien microbes after the Cambrian explosion. They're looking in wormholes to go back in time kill Einstein, so they can do FTL two-day droneship delivery.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Thursday June 13 2019, @05:56PM (3 children)
Well now that I know they have wormholes, I want same-day delivery.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Thursday June 13 2019, @06:34PM (2 children)
They try to implement Yesterday Delivery, but the engineers keep quitting after winning the lottery, so there's no progress.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 13 2019, @07:03PM (1 child)
How are they employed today if they won the lottery yesterday?
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Thursday June 13 2019, @08:40PM
Every time they seem really close to a breakthrough on the time machine, they all win the lottery and leave.
Weird coincidence, what are the odds?