“It is likely that hundreds of thousands of bodies, each capable of yielding a multimegaton explosion on Earth, are orbiting within the [Taurid meteor] stream.” – Victor Clube and Bill Napier, Cosmic Winter
Regular meteor showers are the periodic reminder we live in vast universe. For a few nights, they draw people away from their distractions to look at the heavens like their ancestors once did. What if these little fire balls have a darker history?
In Late October, the Taurid meteors often provide a little show — the Halloween Fireballs. These are the remnants of a fragmented comet that came apart 10,000 years ago. Lesser known are the June (or Beta) Taurids, when Earth passes through another part of this debris field. These are unseen since they occur during daylight hours.
They also may be the source of humanity’s near extinction.
As Earth emerged from the last Ice Age, something catastrophic interfered with climate cycles that persisted for hundreds of thousands of years. One result was the stable climate we now live in, which is a good thing, right? It is, unless the old cycles reassert themselves, or another disaster befalls us.
The bad part is the strong evidence comet fragments pummeled Earth during this apocalypse, the main impacts landing in North America, causing destruction around the globe. Humanity’s progress was set back centuries, if not more.
Could it happen again? Consider these other celestial events occurring during the June Taurids:
- On June 25, 1178, an impact on the Moon created the massive Giordano Bruno crater.
- On June 30, 1908, a fragment exploded over Tunguska in Russia, destroying 2000 square kilometers of forest. A few hours earlier, and Moscow would have been destroyed.
- In late June 1975, a swarm of objects impacted the Moon.
Slightly different timing or trajectories, and these events could have had devastating effects on Earth. We aren’t out of the woods yet. Massive comet fragments are likely still floating in our orbit. Difficult to detect, but not impossible. Why isn’t planetary defense a higher priority, if not the highest? Why isn’t this a common cause among all humans?
Many stories come down to us telling of the time fire rained down from the heavens. Will we ever heed their warnings?
So next time you watch for meteors, or look to the sky every June, imagine what might be lurking in the darkness. Destroyer of worlds…
Darrick Dean 