Strange Encounters

On June 30, 1908, a massive explosion occurred in central Siberia, 3 to 6 miles high over the Tunguska region. Atmospheric effects were noticed as far away as London and a blast zone spanned 800 square miles with charred fallen trees radiating outward from ground zero. Russian villagers far away reported a black column of smoke and flashes of light in the sky.

Theories ran the gamut through the years, from a UFO crash akin to the Roswell event of 1947, antimatter, even a rogue black hole. But regardless of how mysterious the event may have seemed, subsequent research has determined that the most likely culprit would have been a comet or meteor, either of which is no less awe inspiring.

Back in the 90s I was amazed to see a fireball burning through the twilight sky one evening on my way home from work. It appeared about the size of a dime held at arm's length. Glowing bright orange with a long yellowish tail of fire. An amazing sight. I can imagine what the large object must have looked like streaking over Siberia before exploding.

But why did it explode 5 miles in the air, why didn't it impact the ground? As the object plowed through the atmosphere, building into a red hot ball, it pushed an air mass before it, compressing the air as it raced toward the ground. The air actually piled up and compressed before the object, and when it reached a distance between 3 and 6 miles from the earth it had compressed so much air that the pressure caused the object to explode and basically vaporize without even impacting the earth.

The blast area on the ground is not the result of an impact, it is the result of the incredible air pressure that had built up in front of the object combined with the shockwave caused by the destruction of the object high in the sky.

In a word. Amazing. It must have been something to witness. Although I'm sure there were some people or animals in the area, that didn't appreciate the front row seats.