A swarm of dangerous asteroids discovered near the Earth
Scientists from the University of Antioquia in Medellin (Colombia) have identified potentially dangerous objects near our planet. This is a swarm of 88 near-Earth asteroids that emerged as a result of the decay of one comet 20 thousand years ago, according to The Daily Mail.
Astronomers have known about this object for a long time. The Earth periodically passes through the stream, as a result of which the Taurida meteor shower occurs – in October in the southern hemisphere and in November in the northern.
But, as new research has shown, much remains unknown. So, scientists have discovered two large space rocks: 2015 TX24 and 2005 UR, with a diameter of 200 to 300 meters. It turned out that they are part of a previously undiscovered branch of Taurid debris. It is possible that even larger objects may be hidden in it.
The swarm of asteroids arose from the decay of a large comet about 100 kilometers wide. Its fragments are dangerous to the Earth. Scientists believe that such cosmic bodies have already fallen on the planet's surface in the past – some researchers associate the Tunguska and Chelyabinsk meteorites with the Taurids. In 2005, astronomers recorded a collision of a cosmic body from this stream with the Moon.
A new study has shown that 67% of the stream's fragments show signs of cometary activity. The authors concluded that the swarm has a common origin with the comet Encke, seen as early as 1786.
The parent body was probably a pile of debris of elemental, rocky, or carbonaceous blocks held together by a massive ice core. At some point, it collapsed due to the tidal forces of the Sun.
Taurida meteors are generally larger than normal meteors, which means they penetrate deeper into the Earth's atmosphere. Although usually harmless, larger asteroids within the same “dangerous branch” of the stream can pose a real danger if they do not burn up in the atmosphere and fall to Earth.
The earth does not pass through the stream every year. The next meetings will take place in 2022, 2025, 2032 and 2039.
Earlier it was reported that astronomers calculated the size of a mega-comet in the solar system. It turned out to be larger than the satellite of Mars.
