Earth survived an asteroid impact in 1908 that most people don’t know about

Over a century ago, on a quiet morning in an area of Siberia called Tunguska, the sky erupted with a flash brighter than the sun. An explosion shook the ground, leaving those who witnessed it both awestruck and terrified. They had just seen Earth’s most recent major asteroid impact event.

“A collision of a NEO with Earth is the only natural disaster we now know how humanity could completely prevent” said NASA Planetary Defense Officer Lindley Johnson.

“We must keep searching for what we know is still out there, and we must continue to research and test Planetary Defense technologies and capabilities that could one day protect our planet’s inhabitants from a devastating event.”

The Tunguska asteroid impact event

The morning of June 30, 1908, began like any other day, but was soon abruptly disrupted by a brilliant fireball that streaked across the sky.

A thunderous boom followed, marking the catastrophic collision of an asteroid with Earth’s atmosphere. This event, christened the Tunguska event, left an indelible imprint on human history and underscored the dangers that lurk in our cosmic vicinity.

In 1927, the first scientific expedition to the Tunguska site was led by the well-known geologist Dr. Leonid A. Kulik from the Soviet Academy of Sciences.

His work, albeit 20 years later, documented the massive destruction caused by the asteroid’s explosion in the air.

The asteroid impact event at Tunguska wiped out around 80 million trees across a vast area of 830 square miles, hitting the Evenki people hard, as their livelihoods relied on their reindeer herds.

Atmospheric explosion or direct impact?

Dr. Kulik’s analysis showed that the object, a bolide about 130 feet wide, entered Earth’s atmosphere at a 30-degree angle.

He thinks the asteroid blew up in mid-air at around six miles high, creating a powerful shock wave and heat blast that could flatten forests and send seismic waves felt hundreds of miles away.

Further investigations found microparticles that suggested the bolide was likely an asteroid from space.

The Tunguska event wasn’t just a one-off; archaeologists have discovered signs of other airburst events throughout history.

While smaller asteroids usually break apart harmlessly in the atmosphere, bigger ones like the Tunguska asteroid can pose a real risk.

Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO)

Fast forward to today, and we definitely haven’t forgotten the lessons from Tunguska. The launch of NASA’s PDCO in 2016 was a big step forward in protecting Earth from potential asteroid hits.

The PDCO focuses on spotting Near-Earth Objects (NEOs), sending out warnings, and coordinating global defense plans.

Now, let’s talk about an impressive achievement: the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission. Launched on November 23, 2021, DART set out to show off a technique called kinetic impact.

DART hit its target — the binary asteroid system of Didymos and its smaller buddy, Dimorphos — at a staggering speed of 14,000 miles per hour, successfully changing its path.

On September 26, 2022, DART’s impact even slowed Dimorphos’ orbit around Didymos by 32 minutes, way more than anyone expected!

“A collision of a NEO with Earth is the only natural disaster we now know how humanity could prevent,” NASA Planetary Defense Officer Lindley Johnson explained.

“We must keep searching for what we know is still out there, and we must continue to research and test Planetary Defense technologies and capabilities that could one day protect our planet’s inhabitants from a devastating event.”

From Tunguska to today

Tunguska is a pretty sobering chapter in Earth’s history, but it’s just part of a bigger story. Cosmic impacts, like the asteroid strike that created the Chicxulub crater in Mexico 65 million years ago, wiped out the dinosaurs and 75% of Earth’s species.

Then there’s the Meteor Crater in Arizona, which is about 50,000 years old and shows just how powerful these impacts can be.

Ancient cosmic events have also played a huge role in shaping human civilization. Take the 12,800-year-old comet impact in Syria during the Younger Dryas period or the airburst asteroid that devastated the ancient city of Tall el-Hamman in Jordan. These events show just how deep and lasting their effects can be on societies.

Next frontier in planetary defense

While the Tunguska event stands as a stark reminder, our response capabilities have matured dramatically. NASA’s PDCO continues to monitor NEOs that come within 30 million miles of our orbit.

The success of the DART mission offers a blueprint for future defense strategies and lays the groundwork for more sophisticated and reliable planetary defense methods.

Public awareness and involvement are crucial to an effective planetary defense strategy. With the United Nations declaring June 30 as International Asteroid Day, there is an effort to educate and involve people worldwide in this crucial mission.

Moreover, fostering a sense of shared responsibility, encouraging aspiring scientists and engineers, and enabling international collaboration are all steps in the right direction.

From Tunguska into the future

The courage and determination of scientists like Dr. Leonid A. Kulik, way back in 1927, set the stage for our current vantage point.

Today, researchers and engineers carry forward this legacy, pushing the boundaries of what we can achieve to safeguard our planet.

The stories of those who lived through the Tunguska event serve as a poignant reminder of why this work is so crucial.

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