‘Halloween fireballs’ and their threat to 2032 and 2036: Could the taurid swarm endanger Earth

Every few decades, the night sky erupts with what astronomers call “Halloween fireballs,” unusually bright meteors that streak across the atmosphere in late October. These fiery events trace their origins to the Taurid Resonant Swarm, a dense cluster of debris that may contain large, unseen objects capable of causing regional destruction if they strike Earth. A peer-reviewed study published in Acta Astronautica warns that this swarm could cross paths with Earth again in 2032 and 2036, increasing the short-term probability of airbursts or small impacts. As researchers prepare for these encounters, the question grows more urgent: could the Taurid swarm represent an underestimated natural hazard hiding in plain sight? The Taurid meteor stream originates from Comet Encke, a short-period