Tunguska meteorite consequences for residents. Tunguska meteorite - theories, expeditions

The history of our planet is rich in bright and unusual phenomena that still have no scientific explanation. The level of knowledge of the surrounding world of modern science is high, but in some cases a person is not able to explain the true nature of events. Ignorance breeds mystery, and mystery is overgrown with theories and assumptions. The mystery of the Tunguska meteorite is a vivid confirmation of this.

Facts and analysis of the phenomenon

The disaster, which is considered one of the most mysterious and inexplicable phenomena in modern history, occurred on June 30, 1908. In the sky over the deaf and deserted regions of the Siberian taiga, a huge cosmic body swept past. The finale of his rapid flight was the strongest air explosion that occurred in the basin of the Podkamennaya Tunguska River. Despite the fact that the celestial body exploded at an altitude of about 10 km, the consequences of the explosion were colossal. According to modern estimates of scientists, its strength varied in the range of 10-50 megatons of TNT equivalent. For comparison: the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima had a power of 13-18 Kt. Soil vibrations after the catastrophe in the Siberian taiga were recorded in almost all observatories on the planet from Alaska to Melbourne, and the shock wave circled the globe four times. Electromagnetic disturbances caused by the explosion disabled radio communications for several hours.

In the first minutes after the catastrophe, unusual atmospheric phenomena were observed in the sky over the entire planet. The inhabitants of Athens and Madrid saw the auroras for the first time, and in the southern latitudes the nights were bright for a week after the fall.

Scientists around the world have put forward hypotheses about what really happened. It was believed that such a large-scale catastrophe, which shook the entire planet, was the result of the fall of a large meteorite. The mass of the celestial body that the Earth collided with could be tens, hundreds of tons.

The Podkamennaya Tunguska River, the approximate place where the meteorite fell, gave the name to the phenomenon. The remoteness of these places from civilization and the low technical level of scientific technology did not allow to accurately determine the coordinates of the fall of a celestial body and determine the true scale of the catastrophe in hot pursuit.

A little later, when some details of what happened became known, eyewitness accounts and photos from the crash site appeared, scientists began to more often tend to the point of view that the Earth had collided with an object of unknown nature. It has been speculated that it may have been a comet. Modern versions put forward by researchers and enthusiasts are more creative. Some consider the Tunguska meteorite a consequence of the fall of a spacecraft of extraterrestrial origin, others speak of the earthly origin of the Tunguska phenomenon caused by the explosion of a powerful nuclear bomb.

However, there is still no reasonable and generally accepted conclusion about what happened, despite the fact that today there are all the necessary technical means for a detailed study of the phenomenon. The mystery of the Tunguska meteorite is comparable in its attractiveness and the number of assumptions with the riddle of the Bermuda Triangle.

The main versions of the scientific community

No wonder they say: the first impression is the best. In this context, we can say that the first version of the meteorite nature of the catastrophe that happened in 1908 is the most reliable and plausible.

Today, any schoolchild can find the place where the Tunguska meteorite fell on the map, but 100 years ago it was quite difficult to determine the exact location of the cataclysm that shook the Siberian taiga. As many as 13 years passed before scientists paid close attention to the Tunguska catastrophe. The credit for this belongs to the Russian geophysicist Leonid Kulik, who in the early 1920s organized the first expeditions to Eastern Siberia in order to shed light on mysterious events.

The scientist managed to collect a sufficient amount of information about the catastrophe, stubbornly adhering to the version of the cosmic origin of the explosion of the Tunguska meteorite. The first Soviet expeditions led by Kulik made it possible to get a more accurate idea of ​​what actually happened in the Siberian taiga in the summer of 1908.

The scientist was convinced of the meteorite nature of the object that shook the Earth, so he stubbornly searched for the crater of the Tunguska meteorite. It was Leonid Alekseevich Kulik who first saw the crash site and took photographs of the crash site. However, the scientist's attempts to find fragments or fragments of the Tunguska meteorite were unsuccessful. There was also no funnel, which inevitably had to remain on the surface of the earth after a collision with a space object of this size. A detailed study of this area and the calculations carried out by Kulik gave reason to believe that the destruction of the meteorite occurred at a height and was accompanied by an explosion of great force.

At the site of the fall or explosion of the object, soil samples and fragments of wood were taken, which were carefully studied. In the proposed area, on a huge area (more than 2 thousand hectares), the forest was felled. Moreover, the tree trunks lay in the radial direction, with their tops from the center of an imaginary circle. However, the most curious is the fact that in the center of the circle the trees remained unharmed. This information gave reason to believe that the Earth collided with a comet. At the same time, as a result of the explosion, the comet collapsed, and most of the fragments of the celestial body evaporated in the atmosphere before reaching the surface. Other researchers have suggested that the Earth probably collided with the spacecraft of an extraterrestrial civilization.

Versions of the origin of the Tunguska phenomenon

In all respects and descriptions of eyewitnesses, the version of the meteorite body was not entirely successful. The fall occurred at an angle of 50 degrees to the Earth's surface, which is not typical for the flight of space objects of natural origin. A large meteorite, flying along such a trajectory and at cosmic speed, in any case should have left behind fragments. Let small, but particles of a space object in the surface layer of the earth's crust should have remained.

There are other versions of the origin of the Tunguska phenomenon. The most preferred are the following:

• comet impact;
• air nuclear explosion of high power;
• the flight and death of an alien spacecraft;
• technological disaster.

Each of these hypotheses has two components. One side is oriented and based on existing facts and evidence, the other part of the version is already far-fetched, bordering on fantasy. However, for a number of reasons, each of the proposed versions has the right to exist.

Scientists admit that the Earth could collide with an icy comet. However, the flight of such large celestial bodies never goes unnoticed and is accompanied by bright astronomical phenomena. By that time, the necessary technical capabilities were available, which made it possible to see in advance the approach of such a large-scale object to the Earth.

Other scientists (mostly nuclear physicists) began to express the idea that in this case we are talking about a nuclear explosion that stirred up the Siberian taiga. In many respects and witness descriptions, the sequence of occurring phenomena largely coincides with the description of processes in a thermonuclear chain reaction.

However, as a result of data obtained from soil and wood samples taken in the area of ​​the alleged explosion, it turned out that the content of radioactive particles does not exceed the established norm. Moreover, by that time, none of the countries in the world had the technical capabilities to carry out such experiments.

Other versions are curious, pointing to the artificial origin of the event. These include the theories of ufologists and fans of tabloid sensations. Supporters of the version of the fall of the alien ship assumed that the consequences of the explosion indicate the man-made nature of the disaster. Allegedly, aliens came to us from outer space. However, an explosion of such force should have left behind parts or debris of the spacecraft. So far, nothing of the kind has been found.

No less interesting is the version about the participation in the events of Nikola Tesla. This great physicist actively studied the possibilities of electricity, trying to find a way to harness this energy for the benefit of mankind. Tesla argued that having risen several kilometers up, it is possible to transmit electrical energy over long distances using the earth's atmosphere and the power of lightning.

The scientist conducted his experiments and experiments on the transmission of electrical energy over long distances precisely at the time when the Tunguska catastrophe happened. As a result of an error in calculations or under other circumstances, an explosion of plasma or ball lightning occurred in the atmosphere. Perhaps the strongest electromagnetic pulse that struck the planet after the explosion and disabled radio devices is the consequence of the unsuccessful experience of the great scientist.

Future clue

Be that as it may, the existence of the Tunguska phenomenon is an undeniable fact. Most likely, the technical achievements of man will eventually be able to shed light on the true causes of the catastrophe that happened more than 100 years ago. Perhaps we are faced with an unprecedented and unknown phenomenon to modern science.

If you have any questions - leave them in the comments below the article. We or our visitors will be happy to answer them.

On June 30, 1908, in the area of ​​the Podkamennaya Tunguska River (about 60 km north and 20 km west of the village of Vanavara), the movement of a luminous body in the earth's atmosphere was recorded. After that, at an altitude of 10-20 km. an explosion with a capacity of 4-50 megatons was heard from the surface of the Earth (these are several hundred nuclear bombs). Within a radius of 40 km. trees were felled (this is approximately 5000 sq. km.), And within a radius of 200 km. broken windows of houses. After the incident, a few more weeks could be observed in the sky above this place.

eyewitness accounts

... suddenly, in the north, the sky split in two, and a fire appeared in it wide and high above the forest, which engulfed the entire northern part of the sky. At that moment, I felt so hot, as if my shirt was on fire. I wanted to tear and throw off my shirt, but the sky slammed shut, and there was a strong blow. I was thrown three fathoms off the porch. After the blow, there was such a knock, as if stones were falling from the sky or firing from cannons, the earth trembled, and when I lay on the ground, I pressed my head, fearing that the stones would not break my head. At that moment, when the sky opened up, a hot wind swept from the north, like from a cannon, which left traces in the form of paths on the ground. Then it turned out that many of the panes in the windows were broken, and an iron tab for the door lock was broken near the barn.

Semen Semenov, a resident of the Vanavara trading post, located 70 km southeast of the epicenter of the explosion

Our tent then stood on the bank of Avarkitta. Before sunrise, Chekaren and I came from the Dilyushma River, where we visited Ivan and Akulina. We fell fast asleep. Suddenly both woke up at once - someone was pushing us. We heard a whistle and felt a strong wind. Chekaren also shouted to me: “Do you hear how many goldeneyes or mergansers fly?” After all, we were still in the plague and we could not see what was happening in the forest. Suddenly someone pushed me again, so hard that I hit my head on the pole and then fell on the hot coals in the hearth. I was scared. Chekaren was also frightened, grabbed the pole. We began to shout father, mother, brother, but no one answered. Behind the tent there was some kind of noise, one could hear how the woods were falling. Chekaren and I got out of the bags and already wanted to jump out of the tent, but suddenly thunder struck very hard. It was the first blow. The earth began to twitch and sway, a strong wind hit our chum and knocked it down. I was firmly pressed down by the poles, but my head was not covered, because the ellyun was upside down. Then I saw a terrible miracle: the woods were falling, the needles were burning on them, the dry wood was burning on the ground, the deer moss was burning. The smoke is all around, it hurts the eyes, it's hot, very hot, you can burn.

Suddenly, over the mountain, where the forest had already fallen, it became very light, and, how would you say that the second sun appeared, the Russians would say: “suddenly, it suddenly flashed”, it hurt my eyes, and I even closed them. It looked like what the Russians call "lightning." And immediately there was an agdyllyan, a strong thunder. It was the second blow. The morning was sunny, there were no clouds, our sun shone brightly, as always, and then a second sun appeared!

The Evenk brothers, Chuchanchi and Chekarena Shanyagir, who were located 30 km from the center of the explosion to the southeast, on the banks of the Avarkitta River

Expeditions

Surprisingly, the first expedition that was sent to the place where the meteorite fell took place in 1921 with the support of Academicians V. I. Vernadsky and A. E. Fersman: mineralogists L. A. Kulikov and P. L. Dravert went to the place incidents and tried to find out as many facts about this event as possible. They partially succeeded: pieces of a meteorite were found, the situation was documented, and hypotheses of what was happening were formed.

But here's the problem: why did the government of the country not pay attention to such a powerful explosion, which in those years could wipe out virtually any country from the face of the Earth? Did nobody need it? Of course, it is necessary, and one of the versions is as follows: the authorities eliminated the consequences of this incident for 13 years, and after that they allowed people's scientists to go there. This is what the meteorite impact site looks like today:

• Not a single hundred people saw a brightly glowing cosmic body in the Earth's atmosphere.
• Explosion coordinates: 60° 53 north latitude and 101° 53 east longitude.
• There is no funnel at the place where the "meteorite" fell, and, therefore, it exploded in the air, which cannot be with an ordinary meteorite.
• The trees in the area burned out from the inside, the outside bark was not damaged, the effect is similar to the action of a microwave oven, i.e. something like radio waves.
• There was an air wave that knocked out the windows of houses and destroyed some buildings.
• After the explosion, seismic phenomena are observed.
• The magnetic field near the scene has been disrupted.

Let's look at the versions of scientists about what it could be and why no one was interested in it?

Nikola Tesla's experiments with wireless power transmission

Nikola Tesla made a breakthrough in the field of electrical and radio theory. His main task in life was the transmission of electrical impulses through the air, from point A to point B. An entry from Tesla's diary: "The time will come when some scientific genius will come up with a machine capable of destroying one or more armies in one action." Perhaps this was one of the experiments of the scientist-genius, most of whose work is classified to this day.

Rescue of the Earth by third-party inhabitants of the universe

Perhaps a huge meteorite was moving towards the Earth, which, in the event of a collision, would simply split it completely. Seeing this, alien beings for some reason decided to help us, but they managed to shoot down (explode) the meteorite just before it made contact with the Earth. Hence, a powerful explosion and the absence of a crater. In support of this hypothesis, we can cite huge metal rods that were found near the crash site. Where they came from - no one knows, but it is possible that the spacecraft was damaged and spent some time on earth, putting itself in order.

Earth colliding with antimatter

Antimatter is the substance of which, according to scientists, they are composed. In contact with ordinary matter, i.e. any object from the Earth that could be in the air releases a colossal amount of energy. 1 gram of antimatter in an explosion could provide all of humanity with energy for several days.

The fall of the spaceship

According to Kazantsev, in 1908 a distressed interplanetary ship with a nuclear engine invaded the Earth's atmosphere, which deliberately headed towards uninhabited space and ended its flight there.

There are also other theories, such as the explosion of a cloud of methane released as a result of volcanic activity, or the fall of a meteorite from ice. So, for example, Lake Cheko unexpectedly formed near the crash site.

More than 105 years have passed since 1908, and in the hope of getting to the bottom of the truth, not a single hundred expeditions have been sent to the site of the fall of the Tunguska meteorite. But be that as it may, only those who were on the spot immediately after the incident know the true cause of what happened.

The history of the Tunguska meteorite dates back to June 30, 1908. In the earth's atmosphere over Eastern Siberia, between the Lena and Podkamennaya Tunguska rivers, an object bright as the sun exploded and flew a couple of hundred kilometers. Later, this object was named the Tunguska meteorite. Thunder rumbles could be heard within a radius of a thousand kilometers. The mysterious object completed its flight at an altitude of 5-10 kilometers above the taiga with an explosion.

As a result of the blast wave, the forest, located within a radius of 40 kilometers, was tumbled down. Animals died and people got hurt. During the explosion, the power of the light flash reached such strength that it caused a forest fire. It was he who caused the devastation of the entire region. As a result, inexplicable light phenomena began to occur on the territory of a vast space, later called “bright nights of the summer of 1908”. This effect arose as a result of clouds formed at an altitude of about 80 kilometers. They reflected the sun's rays, creating "bright nights". On June 30, night did not fall over the territory, the sky shone with such a light that it was possible to read. This phenomenon was observed over several nights.

The fall and explosion of a meteorite for many years turned the taiga, rich in vegetation, into a dead cemetery of a dead forest. When it came time to investigate this catastrophe, the results were stunning. The explosion energy of the Tunguska meteorite was 10-40 megatons of TNT equivalent. This can be compared to the energy of 2,000 nuclear bombs dropped on Hiroshima in 1945. Much later, a significant growth of trees became noticeable. Such changes speak of a radiation release.

Tunguska meteorite - theories of occurrence.

Until now, the mystery of the Tunguska meteorite cannot be solved. Only in the 20s of the last century, studies of this phenomenon began. By decree of the USSR Academy of Sciences, four expeditions were sent, led by the mineralogist Leonid Kulik. Even after the incident of the century, all the secrets of the mysterious phenomenon have not been revealed.

Hypotheses were very different regarding the incidents in the Tunguska taiga. Some have suggested that there was an explosion of swamp gas. Others talked about the crash of an alien ship. Theories have been put forward about a meteorite from Mars; that the icy nucleus of a comet fell to Earth. Hundreds of theories have been put forward. Michael Ryan and Albert Jackson, American physicists, announced that our planet has collided with a "black hole". Felix de Roy, an optical anomaly researcher and astronomer from France, put forward the theory that on this day the Earth, with its probability, could collide with a cloud of cosmic dust. And some researchers came up with the idea that it could be a piece of plasma that broke away from the Sun.

The theory of Yuri Lavbin.

The research expedition of the Siberian Public Foundation "Tunguska Space Phenomenon", which was organized in 1988, led by Yuri Lavbin, Corresponding Member of the Petrovsky Academy of Sciences and Arts, discovered metal rods near Vanavara. And here Lovebin put forward his own theory: a huge comet is approaching the planet Earth. Some advanced civilization from outer space became aware of a future tragedy, and to prevent a catastrophe, the aliens sent their sentinel ship. His goal was to split the giant comet. The nucleus of the comet broke up and some of the fragments hit our planet, while the rest flew by. The inhabitants of the planet were saved from imminent death, but as a result, one fragment damaged the alien ship and he was forced to make an emergency landing on Earth. The crew of the alien ship repaired the ship and left our planet. They left blocks to us that were out of order, subsequently discovered by the expedition.

Tunguska meteorite - study of the place of impact.

For all the years spent on unraveling the mystery of the Tunguska meteorite, a total of 12 conical holes were found. Since it never occurred to anyone to measure the depth of these holes, no one knows how deep they go. Only recently have researchers begun to think about the origin of the conical holes. Questions have also begun to surface about why the trees are felled in such a strange way, because in all likelihood they should lie in parallel rows. The conclusion is as follows: the explosion itself was unknown to science. Geophysicists have come to the conclusion that some questions will be answered by a detailed study of conical holes in the earth.

Unusual artifacts.

In 2009, Krasnoyarsk researchers discovered quartz cobblestones with mysterious writings at the site of a meteorite fall. Scientists suggest that these letters were applied to the surface of quartz in a man-made way, possibly with the help of plasma exposure. After studies of quartz, it became known that it contains impurities of cosmic substances that cannot be obtained on earth. These cobblestones are essentially artifacts: each layer of the plates is marked with signs of an alphabet unknown to anyone.

The theory of Gennady Bybin.

The physicist, Gennady Bybin, put forward the last hypothesis. He believes the body that landed on Earth is not a meteorite, but an icy comet. The scientist came to this conclusion after a detailed study of the diary of Leonid Kulik. He wrote that a certain substance in the form of ice, covered with peat, was found at the site. However, this finding was not given any significance. Since this compressed ice was found 20 years after the disaster, this fact cannot be considered a sign of permafrost. This is irrefutable proof that the icy comet theory is unmistakably correct.

Results of the study of the landing site of the Tunguska meteorite.

Soon, scientists agreed that this was nothing more than a meteorite that exploded above the surface of our planet. And all thanks to the expedition led by Leonid Kulik. It was she who discovered traces of the meteorite. However, at the site of the explosion, the researchers did not find the usual meteorite crater. An unusual picture appeared to the eye: around the place of the fall, the forest was tumbled down from the center like a fan, and some of the trees in the center remained standing, but without branches.

The following expeditions noticed the characteristic shape of the forest felled as a result of the explosion. The area of ​​the forest was 2200 square kilometers. After calculations and modeling of the shape of this area, as well as studying all the circumstances of the fall of the meteorite, it was shown that the cosmic body exploded not from a collision with the Earth's surface, but in the air, approximately at an altitude of 5 - 10 kilometers above the Earth.

All these assumptions are just theories. The mystery of the Tunguska meteorite remains unsolved. Scientists and researchers are striving to comprehend the mystery of what exactly happened in the Siberian taiga on June 30, 1908.

At about seven o'clock in the morning local time on June 30, 1908, a large fireball swept over the territory of the Yenisei River basin. The flight ended with a powerful explosion at an altitude of about 7 kilometers, which was recorded by observatories around the world. According to modern estimates, the explosion power reached 50 megatons, which is comparable to the explosion of the most powerful. Glass in houses flew out several hundred kilometers from the epicenter of the explosion.

If the Tunguska meteorite exploded while passing over Europe, the explosion would be capable of completely destroying a city like Petersburg. If this incident happened half a century later, such an explosion could well be mistaken for a nuclear attack and cause the outbreak of the Third World War. But, fortunately, the fall occurred in a sparsely populated region of Siberia.

In 2013, interest in the "Tunguska phenomenon" grew again after a meteorite fell in the Chebarkul region.

Studies of the incident in the area of ​​Podkamennaya Tunguska have been going on for more than a century, but to this day there is no unequivocal answer to the question: what exactly happened on June 30?

As of 1970, scientists have recorded 77 different theories about the nature of the "Tunguska phenomenon". Theories are subdivided into technogenic, geophysical, meteoritic, related to antimatter, religious and synthetic.

Over the past 40 years, there have not been fewer versions, and even the list of hypotheses considered to be the main ones has more than two dozen.

We have selected eight of the most interesting versions of the incident at Podkamennaya Tunguska.

1. Meteorite

According to the classical hypothesis, on June 30, 1908, a stone or iron meteorite of a large mass, or a whole swarm of meteorites, fell to Earth.

The most obvious version has one weak point - numerous expeditions to the place where the alleged meteorite fell failed to detect fragments and remnants of the meteorite substance. Moreover, the forest at the site of the cosmic catastrophe was tumbled down on large area, but just at the place where the meteorite crater was supposed to be, the trees remained standing.

Supporters of the meteorite version say - yes, there is no solid meteorite, it completely collapsed, and numerous small fragments fell to Earth. The problem is that to this day it has not been possible to find these fragments in any serious amount.

2. Comet

The "comet" version arose after the meteorite. Its main difference lies in the nature of the substance that caused the explosion. Comets, unlike meteorites, have a loose structure, of which ice is an integral part. As a result, the substance of the comet began to rapidly collapse at the moment of its entry into the Earth's atmosphere, and the explosion completely completed what had been started. That is why, say the supporters of the version, it is not possible to detect traces of matter on Earth - they simply were not there.

Comet and meteorite theories exist in various forms, sometimes intertwined with each other. However, no one has yet been able to convincingly prove their case.

3. Alien ship

It is logical that the authorship of the version about the artificial nature of the "Tunguska phenomenon" belongs to a science fiction writer. In 1946, in the magazine "Around the World" Soviet writer Alexander Kazantsev published the story "Explosion", in which he expressed the version that an alien spaceship crashed in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bPodkamennaya Tunguska. According to Kazantsev, the ship was equipped with a nuclear engine, which exploded. Comparing the explosion of the "Tunguska phenomenon" with the explosions of atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the writer noted that the forest that remained at the epicenter is very similar to the residential buildings that survived at the epicenter of the explosion in Hiroshima. Kazantsev also noted the similarity of seismograms of these events.

Kazantsev's version received a lively response and found a lot of supporters who developed and transformed it.

Scientists have always been extremely skeptical about the "alien" explanation of the incident, but in fact, in this case, the main problem is still the same - there is no material evidence.

Already in the 1980s, Alexander Kazantsev corrected his version. In his opinion, the aliens in distress took the ship away from the Earth, and it exploded in space, and the Tunguska meteorite was the landing of their orbital module.

Fallen forest in the area where the Tunguska meteorite fell. Photo: RIA Novosti

4. Nikola Tesla experiment

Distinguished American Serbian-born physicist Nikola Tesla at the beginning of the 20th century was considered the "master of electricity". Among his many works were experiments related to the technology of wireless transmission of electricity over long distances.

According to this hypothesis, on June 30, 1908, Tesla from his laboratory fired an “energy super shot” into the Alaska region in order to practically test the capabilities of his equipment. However, the imperfection of technology led to the fact that the energy directed by Tesla went much further and caused huge destruction in the Podkamennaya Tunguska area.

Upon learning of the consequences of the tests, Tesla chose not to voice his involvement in the incident. The scale of destruction forced Tesla to stop such large-scale experiments.

The weak point of this theory is that there is no evidence that Nikola Tesla conducted an experiment on June 30, 1908. Moreover, the laboratory, from which the “supershot” was allegedly fired, did not belong to Tesla at that moment.

5. Collision with antimatter

In 1948 the American scientist Lincoln La Paz put forward the idea that the "Tunguska phenomenon" is explained by the collision of matter with antimatter from space. As you know, during annihilation, the mutual annihilation of matter and antimatter occurs with the release of a large amount of energy. Confirmation of the theory is the presence of radioactive isotopes in wood material from the explosion site.

Soviet physicist Boris Konstantinov in the 1960s, he stated even more clearly - a comet consisting of antimatter invaded the Earth's atmosphere. That is why the wreckage of it is simply impossible to find.

The lack of knowledge of the nature and properties of antimatter allows us to consider such a version as acceptable, but most scientists are skeptical about it.

6. Ball lightning

Back in 1908, the first researchers of the "Tunguska phenomenon" suggested that the cause of the explosion was a huge ball lightning.

To this day, the nature of such a rare natural phenomenon as ball lightning has not been fully studied. Perhaps this is the reason why the “ball and lightning” version of events gained popularity among scientists in the 1980s.

According to this version, a giant ball lightning exploded at the crash site, which arose in the Earth's atmosphere as a result of powerful energy pumping by ordinary lightning or sharp fluctuations in the atmospheric electric field.

7 Space Dust Cloud

Back in 1908 the French astronomer Felix de Roy suggested that on June 30, the Earth collided with a cloud of cosmic dust. This version was supported in 1932 by the famous Academician Vladimir Vernadsky, adding that the movement of cosmic dust through the atmosphere caused a powerful development of noctilucent clouds from June 30 to July 2, 1908. Later, in 1961, Tomsk biophysicist and enthusiast of the study of the "Tunguska phenomenon" Gennady Plekhanov proposed a more detailed scheme, according to which the Earth crossed an interstellar cloud of cosmic dust, one of the large conglomerates of which was what later became known as the "Tunguska meteorite".

The same Gennady Plekhanov put forward a humorous version, which, with some stretch, can be considered the “7-bis version”. Being bitten by a midge during one of the expeditions to the Podkamennaya Tunguska area, he proposed the idea that on June 30, 1908, a cloud of mosquitoes with a volume of at least 5 cubic kilometers gathered at this place, as a result of which a volumetric thermal explosion occurred, which resulted in the fall of the forest.

8. Launch of the spacecraft

Another original version of the "Tunguska phenomenon" is associated with science fiction writers Arkady and Boris Strugatsky. It was expressed in a humorous form in their story "Monday begins on Saturday." According to her, on June 30, 1908, a spacecraft was launched in the Podkamennaya Tunguska area. Its landing happened a little later, that is, in July, since it was a ship not just of aliens, but of countermoving aliens, that is, immigrants from the Universe, where time moves in the opposite direction to ours.

But if the Strugatsky brothers' version of the counterfeit aliens was expressed in a humorous vein, then in the early 1990s the well-known ufologist, leader of the Kosmopoisk association Vadim Chernobrov, offered it as an absolutely serious explanation of the "Tunguska phenomenon".

So far, researchers have not been able to find convincing and definitive confirmation of any of the versions of the Tunguska phenomenon, each of them, despite understandable skepticism, has the right to exist.

Even the one that was expressed in relation to another, the Chebarkul meteorite, by one of the Chelyabinsk pensioners:

Yes, they are drug addicts!

“I saw a flying hot ball with a fiery tail. After its passage, a blue stripe remained in the sky. When this fireball fell to the west of the Mog, then soon, after about 10 minutes, I heard three shots, like from a cannon. The shots came one after another, one or two seconds later. From where the meteorite fell, smoke went out, which did not last long ”- from the collection“ Eyewitness reports about the Tunguska meteorite of 1908 ”, V.G. Konenkin.

The explosion knocked down trees over an area of ​​2,000 square kilometers. For comparison, the area of ​​modern St. Petersburg is approximately 1,500 square kilometers.

Was it a meteorite?

In 2007, Italian scientists suggested that the site of the fall of the alleged object is Lake Cheko, at the bottom of which lies a fragment. However, this version also found its opponents.

Research is still ongoing and it is impossible for scientists to determine exactly whether a meteorite, a comet, an asteroid fragment fell to the ground, or whether it was a phenomenon of a non-cosmic nature, even today. The lack of explanation on this issue continues to trouble people's minds. Professionals and amateurs who are not indifferent to the problem presented more than a hundred versions of what happened. Among them there are both scientifically based hypotheses and fantastic theories, up to the accident of an alien ship or the results of Nikola Tesla's experiments. If this one is ever solved, then it is possible that the very name "Tunguska meteorite" will become irrelevant.