Taurid stream #628: a reservoir of large cometary impactors

TL;DR

This study analyzes the Taurid meteor stream, revealing it as a reservoir of large impactors with a complex size distribution, orbital characteristics, and recent fragmentation activity, enhancing understanding of its origin and evolution.

Contribution

First precise observations of the Taurid stream in 2015, establishing its size distribution, orbital properties, and recent fragmentation history, suggesting ongoing evolution of a cometary complex.

Findings

Stream dominated by larger meteoroids with a gentle collisional fragmentation signature.

Meteoroids have orbital periods near the 7:2 resonance with Jupiter.

Recent activity from fragmentation involving asteroid 2015TX24 supports a long-term breakup model.

Abstract

The Desert Fireball Network observed a significant outburst of fireballs belonging to the Southern Taurid Complex of meteor showers between October 27 and November 17, 2015. At the same time, the Cameras for Allsky Meteor Surveillance project detected a distinct population of smaller meteors belonging to the irregular IAU shower #628, the s-Taurids. While this returning outburst was predicted and observed in previous work, the reason for this stream is not yet understood. 2015 was the first year that the stream was precisely observed, providing an opportunity to better understand its nature. We analyse the orbital elements of stream members, and establish a size frequency distribution from millimetre to metre size range. The stream is highly stratified with a large change of entry speed along Earth's orbit. We confirm that the meteoroids have orbital periods near the 7:2 mean-motion resonance with Jupiter. The mass distribution of this population is dominated by larger meteoroids, unlike that for the regular Southern Taurid shower. The distribution index is consistent with a gentle collisional fragmentation of weak material. A population of metre-sized objects is identified from satellite observations at a rate consistent with a continuation of the size-frequency distribution established at centimetre size. The observed change of longitude of perihelion among the s-Taurids points to recent (a few centuries ago) activity from fragmentation involving surviving asteroid 2015TX24. This supports a model for the Taurid Complex showers that involves an ongoing fragmentation cascade of comet 2P/Encke siblings following a breakup some 20,000 years ago.