June 30th in Astronomy and Space Science
![]() | 1908 | A large object, probably a stony asteroid or a comet, explodes over the region of Tunguska in Siberia at 7:17 AM local time. The blast is later estimated to be about 40 megatons (1,000 times the Hiroshima bomb). Trees are flattened for a 64 km (40 mile) radius but those in the center of the blast zone are left standing with their limbs and bark stripped off. This, combined with the lack of a crater, leads to the theory that the object exploded in the air before it could impact. No trace of the object has ever been found. |