100th Anniversary of the Tunguska Event - Are We Any Better Prepared Today?
It exploded over Siberia – this object from space – and leveled 2,000 square kilometers of forest, flattening pine trees like matchsticks. June 30, 2008 marked the 100th anniversary of the Tunguska event, the day in 1908 when an asteroid or comet entered Earth’s atmosphere and, in effect, fired an astronomical warning shot across our bow. The fireball that laid waste a vast swath of forest near the Podkamennaya Tunguska River in Russia was most likely exploded before it reached the ground. Such an explosion today over New York, Paris, or Beijing could level the entire city, killing millions. How prepared is Earth today to avoid disaster from the skies?
Comments:
I'm curious if the effects of light pollution can result in an object the size of the asteroid responsible for the Tunguska event being missed, especially when the size of the object is reportedly downsized and light pollution is steadily increasing.
Every time we - as humans - invent another convenience, we become dependent on it. Infrastructure is wonderful until it fails. When the water main breaks or transformer burns out, we curse. But when infrastructure disappears in the blink of an eye, few of us know how to live one day, much less than the remainder of a lifetime.<br><br>There is a variety of factors that affect comet and asteroid impacts on earth; there always have been. ALl that has ever changed is the targets. Needless to say, western Kansas, Antartica, and New York City are equally vulnerable to impact. <br><br>Where do you live?
