Theories Discussion > General Discussion

Meteoroid or asteroid in Tunguska

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Javier:
The Tunguska event was an aerial explosion of a meteoroid or asteroid that wiped out more than 2,000 km² of forest in Siberia in 1908 without leaving a crater.

Event Description
On June 30, 1908, a gigantic fireball crossed the skies of the central Siberian plateau, near the Podkamennaya Tunguska River, causing an explosion equivalent to between 3 and 30 megatons of TNT, enough to destroy a large modern city. The shockwave knocked down approximately 80 million trees in an area of 2,100–2,150 km² and was felt more than 65 km from the epicenter. During the following nights, the sky remained illuminated in Asia and parts of Europe, generating reports of unusual glows.

Nature of the meteorite
The most accepted hypothesis indicates that it was an iron meteoroid or asteroid that entered the atmosphere at high speed, between 53,000 and 72,000 km/h, reaching temperatures of up to 24,000 °C. The object exploded at an altitude of 5 to 10 km above the surface, releasing a devastating shock wave without directly impacting the Earth. Recent studies suggest that the asteroid may have grazed the Earth and continued its orbit, which would explain the absence of a crater.

Research and expeditions
The first scientific expedition to the site was led by Leonid Kulik in 1921 and 1927, who documented the devastation and collected testimonies from the local inhabitants. Despite his efforts, no significant fragments of the meteorite or a crater were found, which led to alternative theories, including the possibility of a comet composed mainly of ice that disintegrated in the atmosphere.

Magnitude and consequences
It is estimated that the energy released was comparable to 300 atomic bombs like the one in Nagasaki, and the shockwave was recorded by barometers throughout Europe. The explosion caused damage to structures and broke windows hundreds of kilometers away, although the number of human casualties was very low due to the sparse population of the region.

Modern hypotheses
Recent research suggests that the object measured between 37 and 200 meters wide, depending on its composition and trajectory, and that the explosion was due to partial disintegration in the atmosphere. Modern simulations compare the event to the fall of the Chelyabinsk meteor in 2013, highlighting the importance of the entry angle and the composition of the celestial body in determining the magnitude of the shock wave.
The Tunguska event remains a fascinating scientific mystery, studied for more than a century, and serves as a warning about the destructive potential of near-Earth objects.

Javier:
Based on the events of the Tunguska asteroid, this could be a very accurate hypothesis, but this meteorite was not big or violent enough to knock down young and healthy trees, but it did cause serious injuries to people who were close to its range of action (shockwave).

1st Lights in the sky

2nd Very serious fractures caused by an unknown greater force

3rd The shockwave also caused an avalanche

4th This made the hikers scared, they stabbed the tent from the inside and went out barefoot and almost naked looking for shelter in the nearby forest.

5th The shockwave caused very violent winds throughout the area of action

6th Like the Tunguska event, this detonation did not leave an impact crater, and it was not devastating enough to knock down trees.

 okey1 At the moment, it is my most accurate and plausible theory.

Javier:
On February 15, 2013, a meteorite known as the Chelyabinsk bolide exploded in the atmosphere over Russia, causing a large explosion and injuring more than a thousand people.
Event Details

Date and Time: The event occurred on the morning of February 15, 2013, at around 09:20 local time in Chelyabinsk, Russia.

Characteristics of the Meteorite: It is estimated that the meteorite had a diameter of approximately 17 meters and a weight of between 7,000 and 10,000 tons. Upon entering the atmosphere, it released an energy equivalent to 500 kilotons of TNT, which is about 30 times more than the Hiroshima bomb.

Consequences
Damages: The explosion generated a shock wave that broke windows and caused damage to buildings in several nearby cities. More than a thousand people were reported injured, mainly from glass fragments and other debris.

Recovery of Fragments: Fragments of the meteorite were recovered in Lake Chebarkul, where a hole formed in the ice due to the impact. These fragments have been studied by scientists.

Importance of the Event
The Chelyabinsk meteoroid is considered one of the most significant meteor events in more than a century, highlighting the Earth's vulnerability to space objects. This event underscored the importance of monitoring and tracking near-Earth objects to anticipate future similar incidents.
This event was not only a reminder of the potential danger posed by meteorites, but it also generated great interest in the scientific community and the general public, with numerous videos and eyewitness testimonies capturing the moment of the explosion.

 whacky1 We could think that between the Tunguska meteorite and the Chelyabinsk one... did the 'Dyaltlov' meteorite strike in the sky?

The difference with that of the Tunguska asteroid event is that this one did not arrive alone, but accompanied by several more asteroids, although smaller in size, and therefore with less power and caused less damage than the Tunguska one (hence the multiple lights in the sky)

Javier:
I will try to explain my theory of the impact in the sky of the meteoroid or meteoroids:

The group of hikers was resting after having had dinner, while a snow and cold storm battered the area. The group was sleeping in their underwear when they were able to see with relative clarity from the inside almost as if it suddenly became day for a brief period of time. Then a strong detonation occurred (if there were several meteoroids, there would have been several continuous detonations) which caused them serious internal injuries, as indicated by the autopsies, and because of the powerful detonation and almost immediately after, there was an avalanche that fell on the tent where the hikers were sleeping, causing new injuries.

Very nervous and scared and not knowing what was happening, they left the store stabbing the store from the inside. Amid screams and uncertainty, they perhaps thought that the army was conducting exercises with nuclear devices in that area, and as a last resort to try to save their lives, they sought refuge in the forest where they made the fire.

Well, after analyzing many of your versions... for now I stick with this theory. thumb1

GlennM:
Javier. Welcome to the club. You now have a theory, and that is a foundation for future discussions. You are advicating for a meteorological event which produced both light and sound. It may have left evidence on the branches of the pine trees in the forest.

If you pursue this point of view, try to find material in the case files which supports it.

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