Meteoroid, Not Comet, Explains the 1908 Tunguska Fireball

D-brief
By Breanna Draxler
Jul 1, 2013 11:10 PMNov 20, 2019 3:45 AM
Tunguska_Ereignis.jpg

Newsletter

Sign up for our email newsletter for the latest science news
 

Damage from the 1908 Tunguska impact as documented by Leonid Kulik on his 1929 expedition to the epicenter. On this day 105 years ago, Russians were reeling from the enormous fireball that streaked through the sky the day before and flattened almost 800 square miles of trees near the Podkamennaya Tunguska River. It wasn't a bird. It wasn't a plane. And it sure as heck wasn't Superman. But whatever it was, scientists found no trace of it in the charred rubble. It has taken researchers over a century to identify the extraterrestrial object---but in a recent paper, geoscientists revealed that the culprit was indeed a meteoroid.

0 free articles left
Want More? Get unlimited access for as low as $1.99/month

Already a subscriber?

Register or Log In

0 free articlesSubscribe
Discover Magazine Logo
Want more?

Keep reading for as low as $1.99!

Subscribe

Already a subscriber?

Register or Log In

Stay Curious

Sign up for our weekly newsletter and unlock one more article for free.

 

View our Privacy Policy


Want more?
Keep reading for as low as $1.99!


Log In or Register

Already a subscriber?
Find my Subscription

More From Discover
Recommendations From Our Store
Shop Now
Stay Curious
Join
Our List

Sign up for our weekly science updates.

 
Subscribe
To The Magazine

Save up to 40% off the cover price when you subscribe to Discover magazine.

Copyright © 2024 Kalmbach Media Co.