A blue-white fireball tore across a quiet Siberian morning and turned a vast forest into matchsticks—yet left no crater. We dive into the 1908 Tunguska event with clear storytelling and sharp science, tracing how eyewitness heatwaves, global pressure ripples, and a strange midnight glow in London evolved into one of history’s most fascinating forensic puzzles. From Kulik’s grueling expeditions and the eerie “telegraph pole” trunks to microscopic silicate spheres and nickel-rich clues, we unpack how folklore gave way to physics and why the prevailing answer points to a powerful midair asteroid explosion.

We also explore the theories that refused to die—Tesla’s mythical death ray, alien misadventures, even a passing micro black hole—and explain where each one falls apart. Then we bring the story forward: Chelyabinsk’s 2013 airburst, NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office, and DART’s successful asteroid deflection test. Tunguska stops being a bizarre footnote and becomes a clear lesson in risk, readiness, and the urgency of tracking near-Earth objects before they surprise us over a city instead of a taiga.

If you’re curious how a single morning in 1908 reshaped space science, disaster planning, and the birth of planetary defense, this is your guide. Join us, weigh the evidence, and decide which theory holds up. If the episode sparks new questions—or your own wild hypothesis—send them our way. Follow the show, share it with a friend who loves mysteries with real stakes, and leave a quick review to help more curious minds find us.

115 Years Ago: The Tunguska Asteroid Impact Event

nasa.govharfordastro.org

New Evidence Suggests 1908 Tunguska Explosion Caused by Meteorite, Not Comet! meteorites.asu.edu

Tunguska: A Phantom From The Skies by Sam Atkins

harfordastro.orgharfordastro.org

Tunguska event

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunguska_event#:~:text=,for%20a%20moment%2C%20but%20then

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