# The Tungus Event

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tungus-event/154136>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 10, 2003, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tungus-event/154136 "2003-02-10T17:17:50Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![RM\_Mentock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@RM\_Mentock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RM_Mentock)\
**Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tungus-event/154136/21 "2003-02-28T14:57:00Z")

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I also heard something on the radio the other day about dork matter. Maybe that has something to do with it.

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**Author:** ![RiverRunner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/977dab/32.png) [@RiverRunner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RiverRunner)\
**Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tungus-event/154136/22 "2003-02-28T15:07:43Z")

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Computer models – not to mention a Russian scientist’s experiments – have calculated that, in order to produce the peculiar “butterfly-shaped” pattern of treefall, the object would need to have been coming in at an angle of about 30 degrees to the horizontal and exploded in mid-air.

Since material evidence of the object has been so hard to come by, I still think the comet-fragment theory is the most likely candidate. As Cecil pointed out, though, there were some dust-sized particles that _may_ be related to the event.  
RR

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**Author:** ![vl\_mungo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc8723/32.png) [@vl\_mungo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vl_mungo)\
**Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tungus-event/154136/23 "2003-02-28T18:39:42Z")

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There’s a web site with information about a yearly scientific expedition to the site [here](http://www.usm.maine.edu/~planet/tung.html)

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**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\
**Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tungus-event/154136/24 "2003-02-28T20:27:07Z")

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The thing is, you _can_ explain the event using antimatter, or a microscopic black hole, or the Exotic Matter du Jour, but you can’t really explain it any better than you can with a comet or meteor. And since we’re quite certain that comets exist and are found rather abundantly in our general neighborhood, Occam tells us to go with that.

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**Author:** ![t-keela](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a3d4f5/32.png) [@t-keela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/t-keela)\
**Post date:** [March 3, 2003, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tungus-event/154136/25 "2003-03-03T07:21:59Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by RM Mentock \*  
> \*\*I also heard something on the radio the other day about dork matter. Maybe that has something to do with it. \*\*

**dork matter…** 😃 how true

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