Beta Taurid meteor SWARM is headed for Earth and could have 'catastrophic impact'
A swarm of meteors heading towards Earth could have a catastrophic impact on our planet and its inhabitants, scientists have warned.
The Beta Taurids is a meteor shower that takes place every year between June 5 and July 18, when the Earth passes through a broad stream of debris left by Comet Encke.
It is less well known than some other meteor showers because it peaks after sunrise, making the "shooting stars" much harder to see.
However, scientists believe that the cloud of debris may contain large space rocks that could pose a significant threat to life Earth.
Some have even suggested that one of these rocks could have been to blame for the most devastating meteor impact of modern times - the Tunguska Event of 1908, which flattened an area bigger than London and destroyed 80 million trees.
Luckily, no one was killed in the explosion, which occurred over the Podkamennaya Tunguska River in Russia.
However, large areas of forest were obliterated, and the resulting shock waves threw people into the air over 40 miles away.
The Tunguska explosion is considered a one-in-1000-year event. But some researchers believe that another such phenomenon could occur much sooner.
Article in full
https://www.mirror.co.uk/science/beta-t ... 518953.amp
