The Tungus Event

Factual Questions
21

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

22

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

23

There’s a web site with information about a yearly scientific expedition to the site here

24

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.

25

dork matter… :smiley: how true