The Tunguska Event (1908). The Explosion That Shook the Earth

Morning, June 30, 1908.Over the endless forests of Siberia, the air was still — heavy with fog, silence, and mosquitoes. Then, at 7:14 a.m., the sky blazed white. A flash brighter than the sun swept across the taiga, followed by a roar that shattered windows hundreds of kilometers away.

What happened that day near the Podkamennaya Tunguska River was unlike anything humanity had ever seen. The Tunguska meteorite — or rather, the Tunguska explosion — released energy equal to 40–50 megatons of TNT, flattening over 2,000 square kilometers of forest. And yet, no crater was ever found.

A Light Brighter Than the Sun

Eyewitnesses — Evenki hunters, herders, and villagers — described a fireball streaking across the morning sky, followed by a deafening shockwave. The blast leveled 80 million trees, radiating outward in a butterfly-shaped pattern.Seismic stations across Europe recorded the tremor, and barometers in England and Germany detected atmospheric waves that circled the planet several times.

The explosion’s power rivaled the largest hydrogen bombs ever built.

A Blast Without a Crater

It wasn’t until 1927 that the first scientific expedition, led by Leonid Kulik, reached the remote site. They found no crater — only scorched earth and trees lying in perfect radial symmetry, all pointing away from a central point.

There were no large fragments, no meteorite pieces. This baffled scientists and inspired countless theories: a comet nucleus made of ice, an asteroid that exploded midair, or — in more speculative minds — an alien craft that self-destructed before impact.

What Really Happened

Modern studies suggest the object was an asteroid or comet about 50–80 meters wide, weighing roughly 100,000 tons, entering the atmosphere at 20 km per second.At an altitude of about 8 km, it disintegrated, releasing most of its energy in a massive airburst that vaporized itself and set the forest ablaze.

Microscopic traces of nickel, iridium, and silicate — common in meteorites — were later discovered in the soil and tree resin, confirming its cosmic origin.

The Sky That Glowed

For several nights after the explosion, people across Europe reported strange “luminous clouds.” The upper atmosphere glowed from the fine dust ejected by the blast. In London and St. Petersburg, newspapers could be read at midnight without lamps.

The Siberian wilderness still bears the marks of the event — a vast area of flattened trees, silent witness to the force that struck from space.

The Mystery Lives On

Despite scientific consensus, the Tunguska Event remains one of the greatest mysteries of the 20th century.Alternative theories persist — antimatter, mini black holes, Nikola Tesla’s experiments, or extraterrestrial technology — each reflecting humanity’s fascination with the unknown.

But the simplest answer remains the most sobering: it was the largest cosmic impact in recorded history, a reminder of how vulnerable our planet is beneath the endless sky.

The Echo of Tunguska

Every year on June 30, scientists mark International Asteroid Day, honoring the morning when a second sun rose over Siberia.

The taiga has long since regrown, but the legend of Tunguska endures — a whisper from the cosmos, reminding us that the stars above are not only beautiful,but dangerous.