What is the Tunguska explosion?

Air burst via Wikimedia

Commons
In 1908, an explosion over Siberia killed reindeer and flattened trees. But
no crater was ever found. Scientists now believe it was a small comet or
asteroid.

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Photo of an air burst, in this case from a U.S. Navy submarine-launched Tomamhawk cruise missile. An air
burst from an incoming comet or asteroid is thought to have flattened trees in Siberia in 1908.

Flattened trees at site of Tunguska event. This image is from 1927, when Russian scientists were finally able
to get to the scene. Photograph from the Soviet Academy of Science 1927 expedition led by Leonid Kulik.

The epicenter of the Tunguska explosion as photographed in 2008. Via Wikimedia Commons.
On June 30, 1908, in a remote part of Russia, a fireball was seen streaking across the daytime sky. Within
moments, something exploded in the atmosphere above Siberias Podkamennaya Tunguska River in what is
now Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia.
This event now widely known as the Tunguska event is believed to have been caused by an incoming
meteor or comet, which never actually struck Earth but instead exploded in the atmosphere, causing what is
known as an air burst, three to six miles (510 kilometers) above Earths surface.
The explosion released enough energy to kill reindeer and flatten trees for many kilometers around the blast
site. But no crater was ever found.
At the time, it was difficult to reach this remote part of Siberia. It wasnt until 1927 that Leonid Kulik led the
first Soviet research expedition to investigate the Tunguska event. He made a initial trip to the region,
interviewed local witnesses and explored the region where the trees had been felled. He became convinced
that they were all turned with their roots to the center. He did not find any meteorite fragments, and he did
not find a meteorite crater.
Over the years, scientists and others concocted fabulous explanations for the Tunguska explosion. Some were
pretty wild such as the encounter of Earth with an alien spacecraft, or a mini-black-hole, or a particle of
antimatter.
The truth is much more ordinary. In all likelihood, a small icy comet or stony asteroid collided with Earths
atmosphere on June 30, 1908. If it were an asteroid, it might have been about a third as big as a football field
moving at about 15 kilometers (10 miles) per second.
Because the explosion took place so long ago, we might never know for certain whether it was an asteroid or
comet. But in recent decades astronomers have come to take the possibility of comet and asteroid impacts
more seriously. They now have regular observing programs to watch for Near-Earth Objects, as theyre called.
They also meet regularly to discuss what might happen if we did find an object on a collision course with
Earth.

Map showing the approximate location of the Tunguska event of 1908.
Bottom line: On June 30, 1908, an object from space apparently exploded in the atmosphere above Siberia.
The explosion killed reindeer and flattened trees, in what has become known as the Tunguska event.
Scientists calculated the Tunguska explosion could have been roughly as strong as 20 megatons of TNT, or
roughly 1,000 times more powerful than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Space.com reported.

Mysterious Tunguska Explosion of 1908 in Siberia may be linked to Tesla's experiments of wireless
transmission

Nikola Tesla holding a gas-filled phosphor-coated light bulb which was illuminated without wires by
an electromagnetic field from the "Tesla Coil".

Many theories have been proposed for the cause of the explosion. One theory is that Tesla's
experiments with wireless transmission may have inadvertently caused the explosion.

Did you know that in 1908 in Siberia, one of the most catastrophic, mind-blowing (and mysterious)
cosmic impact catastrophes ever in the history of civilization occurred - and yet it wasn't widely
known outside Russia (save for a few astronomy and research scientist enclaves) until around the
1970's? Even interested research parties didn't learn about or even set foot on the scene of disaster
until 1921. It didn't make front page news in the papers when it happened because of the extreme
remoteness of that region of Siberia. Also at play was the secretive, unsettled nature of Russia at the
time (which of course only heightened the many conspiracy theories surrounding it today) (taken
from article The Tunguska Explosion of 1908).
The so-called Tunguska Event refers to a major explosion that occurred on 30 June 1908 in the
Tunguska region of Siberia, causing the destruction of over 2000 km2 of taiga, globally detected
pressure and seismic waves, and bright luminescence in the night skies of Europe and Central Asia,
combined with other unusual phenomena. The Tunguska Event may be related to the impact with
the Earth of a cosmic body that exploded about 510 km above ground, releasing in the atmosphere
1015 Mton of energy. Fragments of the impacting body have never been found, and its nature (comet
or asteroid) is still a matter of debate. (from the article "A possible impact crater for the 1908
Tunguska Event")


Above: Nikola Tesla in his Colorado Laboratory with magnifying transmitter in action, 20 million volts
of electricity. Photo from http://www.frank.germano.com/tunguska.htm )
Tesla's Possible Connection to the Tunguska Explosion, Siberia, 1908
One theory is that Tesla's experiments with wireless transmission may have inadvertently caused the
explosion.
"Nikola Tesla, was testing out some sort of weird, fantasmigorical communication device, or super-
scary "energy weapon" or "death ray" and made a big "...oops!" Tesla was known to be working on a
sort of wireless torpedo, called an "telautomaton," which was a remote controlled boat he offered to
the U.S. Navy for the purpose of carrying explosives to naval targets. An airborne version of the
telautomaton device was under development as well. Some also believe that if there was a Tesla
connection, and it was a weapon test... that he may have been pressured into it and then kept quiet.
This is of course just heaping extra drama onto a theory already wrought with ridiculousness. Even
though the 1908 time frame does match up for Tesla working on such devices, for him to be testing
out such inventions in such an apocalyptic manner is quite a stretch, not to mention he was nowhere
near the area at the time. Even funnier: the theory that Tesla inadvertently caused the massive
explosion when he was trying to get the attention of an explorer friend in the area. Tesla was always
fascinated with the concept of wireless propagation, and he was known to work on "projected wave
energy" processes that could create microscopic, invisible particles of concentrated energy that could
be beamed great distances... often resulting in electric fireballs, spherical plasmoids, or ball lightning.
Why not use it to get someone's attention who's not near a telegram service? Of course this falls into
the "secret weapons test" category as well. The theory that he was using it to try and get the attention
of a friend halfway around the world is hilarious, but adsurd: *K-A-B-O-O-O-M!!!* ---"Albert... this is
Nikola, please call me." Here is a link to some New York Times articles where Nikola speaks of such
devices, which date from 1907, 1908 and 1915" (taken from
http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2006/11/the_relatively_.html )


"Tesla said his transmitter could produce 100 million volts of pressure and currents up to 1000
amperes, with experimental power levels of billion or tens of billions of watts.
(18)
If that amount of
power were released in "an incomparably small interval of time,"
(19)
the energy would be equal to the
explosion of millions of tons of TNT, that is, a multi-megaton explosion. Such a transmitter would be
capable of projecting the force of a nuclear warhead by radio. Any location in the world could be
vaporized at the speed of light." (taken from Frank Germano at
http://www.frank.germano.com/tunguska.htm )

Above: Wardenclyffe Tower in Shoreham, Long Island, New York, with electrical sparks. Tesla built
this tower to transfer electricity without wires to electrify the entire earth and to be the first
broadcasting system in the world.
Tesla Tower in Shoreham Long Island (1901 - 1917) meant to be the "World Wireless" Broadcasting
system

Above: The Famous Tesla Tower erected in Shoreham, Long Island, New York was 187 feet high, the
spherical top was 68 feet in diameter. The Tower, which was to be used by Nikola Tesla is his "World
Wireless" was never finished.

Above: Wardenclyffe Tower, Tesla's Idea about electrical control of rain falls. From the book "Tesla"
by Dr. Branimir Jovanovic.

Above: Group Photo from a visit to Tesla Tower, June 10, 1990 demanding the proclamation of
Wardenclyffe Tower Site as a National landmark. From left to right: Melvin Drossman, Boris Mardesic
(with sun glasses), Peggy McKinnon Clark, Dr. Dushan Kosovic, Dr. Mariza Pezzulic, Dr. Ljubo Vujovic
(organizer of the meeting), Slavka Bulajic, Mrs. Hochbruckner, Congressmen George Hochbruckner,
William Terbo, Dr. David Dasic (Consul General of Yugoslavia) and Dragoslav Pejic (Ambassador of
Yugoslavia to United Nations).


Above: Tesla's Idea how to light up the ocean with high frequency electricity being transmitted
thought the Ionosphere. From the book "Tesla" by Dr. Branimir Jovanovic.

Above: Photograph of a model of Tesla Tower in action, shows how the Tower would have looked if it
was completed.


Above: The tragedy of Tesla in Wardenclyffe, the tower was dismantled on July 4, 1917. It was
dynamited and razed by the mortgage holder, the proprietor of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.