The Tunguska Mystery Go from Quantum to Cosmic
Sign inFAQSign in.See Subscription Options
Skip to main content
Scientific American June 2008
The Tunguska Mystery
Finding a piece of the elusive cosmic body that devastated a Siberian forest a century ago could help save the earth in the centuries to come
June 30, 1908, 7:14 a.m., central Siberia—Semen Semenov, a local farmer, saw “the sky split in two. Fire appeared high and wide over the forest.... From ... where the fire was, came strong heat.... Then the sky shut closed, and a strong thump sounded, and I was thrown a few yards.... After that such noise came, as if . . . cannons were firing, the earth shook ...”
Rights & PermissionsScroll To Top var A17 = window.A17 || ;var dfp = window.dfp || ;A17.svgSupport = document.implementation.hasFeature("http://www.w3.org/TR/SVG11/feature#BasicStructure", "1.1");A17.browserSpec = (typeof document.querySelectorAll && 'addEventListener' in window && A17.svgSupport) ? "html5" : "html4";var element = document.createElement('x');element.style.cssText = 'pointer-events:auto';(function()var doc = document.documentElement;var str = " js "+(A17.svgSupport ? " svg" : " no-svg") + (element.style.pointerEvents === 'auto' ? " csspointerevents" : " no-csspointerevents");doc.className = doc.className.replace(/bno-jsb/,str);)();var airbrake = new airbrakeJs.Client(projectId: 177290,projectKey: 'fde133a285fff2da6ad65f7c374e0d6e');airbrake.addFilter(function (notice) notice.context.environment = 'production';return notice;);
(function()
var DFP_id = dfp.adUnit;
// For testing
//var DFP_id = "/7814368/NativeAdUnit";
var compiledTemplateHomePopular = "";
var compiledTemplateHomeLatest = "";
var compiledTemplateHomeAgenda = "";
var compiledTemplateTagLatest = "";
var compiledTemplateArticleLatest = "";
var compiledTemplateVideoLatest = "";
templates();
window.NATIVEADS = window.NATIVEADS )();
(function(d, s, id)
var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0], p = d.location.protocol;
if (d.getElementById(id)) return;
js = d.createElement(s);
js.id = id; js.type = "text/javascript"; js.async = true;
js.src = ((p == "https:") ? p : "http:") + "//plugin.mediavoice.com/plugin.js";
fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);
)(document, "script", "nativeads-plugin");
function renderTagerting(pos)
var polarTargeting = JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(dfp.targeting));
var ppos = [];
if (pos !== 'undefined')
ppos = [pos];
polarTargeting['pos'] = ppos;
return polarTargeting;
Subscribers get more award-winning coverage of advances in science & technology.
See Subscription Options
