Taurids
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
The Taurids are an annual meteor shower considered associated with the comet Encke. They are named after the constellation Taurus, near where they are usually seen. Because of their occurrence in late October and early November, they are also called Halloween fireballs.
Encke and the Taurids are believed to be remnants of a much larger comet, which 20,000 to 30,000 years ago was disrupted by a close encounter with Earth's gravitational field, breaking it into several pieces. In total, this stream of matter is the largest in the inner solar system. Due to its size, the Earth takes a week or two to pass through the stream, 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.
Typically, Taurids appear at a rate of about 7 per hour, moving slowly across the sky at about 17 miles per second (27 kilometers per second), or 65,000 miles per hour. If large enough, these meteors may become bolides, with spectacular light shows and even audible sound.
Due to further encounters with planets such as Jupiter, the Taurids have, over time, split into separate segments labeled the Northern Taurids and Southern Taurids. The Beta Taurids, which many astronomers consider the cause of the Tunguska event, are also a descendant of the original stream.
The Taurid stream has a cycle of activity that peaks roughly every 2500 to 3000 years, when it passes nearer to Earth and produces more intense showers. The Northern and Southern groups have peaks separated by a few centuries. Some astronomers note that dates for megalith structures such as Stonehenge are associated with these peaks.
The next peak is expected around 3000 AD, suggesting that the Taurids may also be responsible for the Star of Bethlehem. In 1, there were Taurid meteor showers due to the Encke tail encountering Earth and breaking up [1].
The Taurids also have more frequent peaks which may result from a heavier core of material in the stream, which only hits Earth during some passes.
Taurids and UFOs
During the week ending November 4, 2005, the large number of fireballs seen all over the world led some to suggest UFO visitations. These fireballs may have been space junk or the Taurids [2].
