Warning! Growing Risk of Asteroids Hitting the Earth

• Scientists have warned about the growing risk of Asteroids hitting the Earth
• The warning comes from Czech scientists who analyzed a recent meteor shower with 144 fireballs
• The meteor shower, known as Taurid, has shown greater activity since 2015

What are the Taurids?

The Taurids, associated with comet Encke, are an annual meteor shower known for lighting up the skies every November. Scientists and Astronomers from Czech Academy of Sciences analyzed the Taurids and its 144 fireballs (meteors that explode in the atmosphere) have concluded their study after observing a new branch with two asteroid measuring 200-300 meters in diameter. It has a well-defined orbital structure. The risk of asteroids hitting the Earth has grown.

What does it mean?

It means that there are numerous asteroids with even larger diameter present but yet undiscovered. Every few years the Earth encounters the branches of Taurids for a period of three weeks. Addition/ Formation of new branches indicates a growing risk of an asteroid collision with Earth.

The study says that the fragments could collide with the Earth in 2022, 2025, 2032 and 2039 during the Annual Meteor Shower (November time). The asteroids are otherwise fragile, but the large ones possess the ability to penetrate deep into the atmosphere.

Interestingly, this is not the first time we have been warned about the Taurid meteors. A hypothesis says that they were also part of the ancient collisions that led our planet into an ice age.

– by Saksham Narula of NewsGram. Twitter: @Saksham2394