Overview
- A University of New Mexico–led team published peer‑reviewed findings in Acta Astronautica, also presented at the Planetary Defense Conference, identifying potential risk windows tied to the Taurid stream.
- The study suggests a theoretical Taurid resonant swarm—shaped by a 7:2 orbital resonance with Jupiter—could elevate the chance of atmospheric airbursts during those close approaches.
- Indirect indicators such as bright fireballs and lunar impact or seismic signatures occurring at predicted times support the possibility of a clustered population but do not confirm it.
- Observation prospects differ: a night‑side geometry in 2032 favors ground‑based visible surveys, whereas a sunward approach in 2036 complicates detection, with many objects only observable after they miss Earth.
- Authors call for targeted telescope campaigns and eventual use of the NEO Surveyor infrared mission, note no evidence of objects above a global‑catastrophe threshold, and frame the work within ongoing NASA and U.S. national lab planetary‑defense efforts.