Tunguska Explosion Caused by Asteroid Grazing the Earth, Say Scientists

A new theory explaining the mysterious 1908 explosion in Siberia suggests Earth escaped far greater catastrophe by a whisker.

The Physics arXiv Blog iconThe Physics arXiv Blog
By The Physics arXiv Blog
Oct 9, 2020 1:40 PMOct 9, 2020 5:26 PM
Asteroid Approaching Earth - Shutterstock
(Credit: Dotted Yeti/Shutterstock)

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In the early morning of Jun. 30, 1908, a massive explosion flattened entire forests in a remote region of Eastern Siberia along the Tunguska River. Curiously, the explosion left no crater, creating a mystery that has puzzled scientists ever since — what could have caused such a huge blast without leaving any remnants of itself?

Now Daniil Khrennikov at the Siberian Federal University in Russia and colleagues have published a new model of the incident that may finally resolve the mystery. Khrennikov and co say the explosion was caused by an asteroid that grazed the Earth, entering the atmosphere at a shallow angle and then passing out again into space.

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