Yet another new explanation for the 1908 Tunguska explosion has appeared. It was an asteroid, Sandia Labs scientists say, which blew up before hitting the Siberian surface. That height allowed a fireball to sweep the landscape, devastating foliage and wildlife.
The report also suggests a greater threat of forthcoming doom from space:
[Says]Sandia principal investigator Mark Boslough: “That such a small object can do this kind of destruction suggests that smaller asteroids are something to consider. Their smaller size indicates such collisions are not as improbable as we had believed.”
Because smaller asteroids approach Earth statistically more frequently than larger ones, he says, “We should be making more efforts at detecting the smaller ones than we have till now.”
(via Slashdot)
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