Thai Astronomical Society explains mysterious fireball sightings
Bright fireball over Thailand linked to ancient comet fragments
The Thai Astronomical Society has reported that a bright fireball observed early morning, on October 26, followed by a loud explosion, may be remnants of an ancient comet that disintegrated 10,000 years ago.
The society clarified that this fireball is unrelated to the Comet Lemmon, which is over 90 million kilometres away from Earth.
At approximately 12.30am on October 26, bright fireballs were spotted in the sky with reports from several central provinces. The society confirmed that these were not linked to Comet Lemmon due to the significant distance of the comet from Earth.
The Taurid Meteor Shower, originating from the 2P/Encke comet, is believed to be the remnants of a large ancient comet that was 40 kilometres in diameter and disintegrated around 10,000 years ago.
This meteor shower is expected to be visible again in late October to early November and could see an increase in bright meteors, known as fireballs.
Scientists have explained that this phenomenon occurs when Earth’s gravity pulls together dust fragments from the 2P/Encke comet, influenced by Jupiter’s gravitational pull, leading to a denser cluster in space.
As Earth passes through this region, the number of visible meteors, particularly slow-moving and bright ones, may increase. Similar events occurred in 1964, 2005, and 2015. Orbital calculations suggest the possibility of another occurrence this year.
The meteoric debris, which broke apart around 10,000 years ago, continues to orbit the sun as an extensive stream of comet fragments, drifting through the inner solar system and occasionally crossing Earth’s path, resulting in spectacular meteor showers visible from our planet.
Some parts of the stream have been pulled together by Jupiter’s gravitational influence, forming a cluster. When Earth moves through this cluster, an increase in meteors and fireballs in the sky is observed, according to KhaoSod.
Astronomy enthusiasts are encouraged to keep an eye on the night sky in the coming weeks, as experts predict more visible fireballs during the Taurid Meteor Shower’s peak.
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