SUBJECT: UFO MYSTERY ? FILE: UFO1536
(based on the memories A.S.Zaburunov)
The phenomenon that happened in the skies of Siberia on 30
June 1908 has been described ... as a man-made disabled spaceship
with an exploding reactor (1). The explosion occurred over a large
area with a sparse population density. Records of the event were
limited to oberservations of populace who were non-technically
minded and were susceptible in giving many-sided and parochial
views. The result was that no clear and composite description was
possible by the observers in the relatively close proximity (near
field effect) of the event. Thus, the descriptions of the
explosion stated in the literature must of necessity be limited to
those observations.
Subsequent investigations of Kulik and others (2,3,4) many
years after the event led to the conclusions that the explosion
was of a nuclear type. It was reported that there was not one gi-
gantic explosion, but many of various intensities (5). The purpose
of this note is severalfold. The first is to describe a series of
fireballs I had observed when I was a youth in Russia. The second
is to corroborate the time and and date of the observation of the
explosion over Tunguska. The third is to present a plausible expl-
anation of the explosion (consistent with the observations
reported in the literature) based on scientific deductions.
I was 10 years old and was working with my parents and other
villagers in the wheat fields, located close to the Donetz River,
160 km west of the junction of the Don and Donetz in the former
U.S.S.R. Of necessity, we worked in the fields into midnight or
later to reap the wheat as quickly as possible, when ripened.
Since we were harvesting the earliest of the ripened fields, the
time of the year would have been the end of June.
About midmight (local time), our oxen were pulling wagons
loaded wheat, when suddenly a luminous and purplish column
appeared at the horizon in the easterly direction. Almost
immediately, a large, dark-purple, and perfectly round luminous
ball appeared on the top of the column. The height was estimated
to be 5 to 6 degrees above the horizon. The ball had the apparent
size of 1.5 times the diameter of the moon. Then, without any
perceivable motion, the ball and column disappeared after a short
time. We casually took that as an unusual effect. Then, after
about one minute, a second similar, but now a red ball appeared at
the same height. After a short period of time, it disappeared. We
now were concerned about the events.
After about another minute, a third ball appeared slightly to
the right - and again after a short time, it disappeared. After
the third one, we were scared, but we continued to watch the
horizon. Several more fireballs were observed. Each fireball was
successively smaller. The last one appeared after about a two min-
ute interval; it was about half the size of the moon. It was
somewhat lower and and to the right of the previous balls. Curiou-
sly, the last one had a small tail trailing downward.
I believe that, altogether, at least five fireballs appeared
at the regular time intervals. Each lasted for an estimated three
second time period. After the series, there was no more activity,
and we completed our work. With subsequent years, I dismissed the
observations and didn't attempt to rationalize the strange event.
Then in 1960, I read an article describing the Tunguska
"meteor". Later I saw photographs of the fireballs of atomic bombs
that were exploded in the atmosphere. The combination of the
article and the photographs immediately recalled my childhood exp-
erience, and I realized I was a witness to the Tunguska explosion.
The corroboration of the time and day can't be precisely det-
ermined. There is agreement with the following: the year, 1908;
the month and day, June 30 within plus or minus one day; and the
hour, 7:00 am Tunguska local time, to within 1 hour. In addition,
the number balls is in general agreement with the number of
explosions counted at the terminal series of explosions observed
at Tunguska (5).
The most diffult aspect of my observation is the viewing of
the fireballs from a distance of about 4,200 km. Although observ-
ation of the present day atomic blasts are limited to the line of
sight viewing, looming mirages have been observed 750 km from an
object source. Anomalies of the atmosphere, generated by the entry
of a bolide and/or the high explosions occurring at might over the
cold land mass of Siberia, could conceivably increase the looming
mirage distance for the extended range.
From the above arguments, even though not scientifically
verified to reduce the uncertainty factors, I shall postulate that
the event of my youth was a far-field observation of the Tunguska
explosion. A description of the fireballs and explosions that
occurred at Tunguska now has been reconstructed from the literat-
ure (4,6,7,8). Initially, a brillant bolide was noticed leaving
trails of red, blue, and yellow lines of ionized air as it moved
toward the earth. The bolide separated into three sections. The
first was a small "cloud", a core, and then a body of less dense
material sweeping behind the core. After about 10 minutes of
flight, a small explosion occurred at the "cloud" section. Shortly
afterward, three large explosions occurred, separated by about one
minute intervals.
It is conjectured that this series was created by the body,
and that it was the first of the two major shock waves recorded
throughout the world. Then, during the next 5 minutes, about 50 to
60 small explosions occurred, separated by distinct and equal time
intervals. These explosions were thought to have been created by
the remnant of the main body. After two or more minutes, seven
explosions occurred, separated by about one minute time
intervals.It is thought that this series was created by the core,
and that it caused the second of the two major shock waves also
recorded throughout the world.
At the explosion site in Tunguska, two distinct patterns (or
areas) of fallen trees were discovered. They were about 50 km
apart. It is assumed that the first one was the result of the
first three explosions, and the second one (to the northwest) was
the result of the last seven explosions with a reverse pattern of
fallen trees. But, no craters of debris have been found at or near
the explosion site.
It has been determined that the shock wave, an intense heat
flash, and a tremendous smoke column occurred with subsequent
fallout of Cs-137 and K-39 at the site (5). Most observations
indicate that the object was a bolide entering the Earth's atmos-
sphere at a high velocity. It is assumed that as the bolide
entered the atmosphere, it was heated to extreme temperature above
1 Million C, creating very high pressures.
The abundance of hydrogen in such an environment can produce
a hydrogen bomb (5). The hydrogen converts into deuterium
releasing 2 or 3 neutrons, as well as energy in the form of heat,
shock, and flash waves. Thus, the first explosion is believed to
be of the FUSION type occurring at the "cloud" section. The
subsequent explosions are characterized by a baffling time
phenomenon. The time between the successive explosions appears to
be periodic, rather than a random series of events. Thus, it is
conjectured that as the bolide entered the atmosphere, the less
dense matter was swept off the main body in a manner similar to
standing wave mode.
The matter, when subjected to high temperature and pressures
in a neutron atmosphere (the center of mass coincident with the
neutrons during the flight), could be constricted within a
standing mode of increasing mass until the critical state is
reached for a fission type of explosion to occur. Thus, the
process would repeat itself periodically until the materialof that
bolide was spent. It is believed that the series of explosions
following the first small one were fission type.
Again, one observes that the fallout (5) was essentially
Cs-137 and K-39, both artifically produced isotopes of the alkali
metal family. It also is noted that, strangely, francium, the hea-
viest of the alkali metals never has been detected in meteors (9).
If we assume Fr was present in the bolide at a significant concen-
tration, an expected reaction of Fr is an environment of neutrons
would be as follows: 87(Fr)215 + n ->87(Fr)216 ->55(Cs)137+19(K)39
+un+h(A)z+mc(squared)
where n is the number of neutrons per Fr atom, un, the number of
neutrons released, h(A)z, any of the traces of metals found at the
site, and mc(squared), the released energy.
THE AUTHOR: Akim Zaburunov has recently retired from the U.S.
ARMY NIGHT VISION RESEARCH LABS, FT.Belvior, VA. Born in czarist
Russia, he was educated at the Institute of Technology in Brno,
Czechoslovakia, at Mass. Institute of Technology, and Univ. Mich.
As a boy in Russia he was witness to a series of explosions which
occurred at the same time as the the Tunguska explosions.
REFERENCES:
1) Baxter J., and Atkins, T., THE FIRE CAME BY, Doubleday & Co.,
Garden City, NY (1976).
2) Krinov, E., TUNGUSKA METEORITE SERIES:, Akademia nauk S.S.S.R.
1949
3) Ivanovich, Vronskii Boris, Tropoy Kulika, Moskva, "Mys!" 1963
4) Zolotov, Alexey Vasilievich, Problema Tunguskoy Catastrofy 1908
Minsk, "Nauke & Technica" 1969
5) Bruckner, Marijian, Tajna, Tunguske, Katastrofalne eksplosie v
Sibiria - Virovitica, 1969
6) Tunguska Meteorite-Collected works Problema Tunguskoyo
Meteorite Tomsky University 1963
7) Lubich, Kandyba, Urii, V strane Ohnennago boha Ogdy-Kemerovo,
Book Printing 1967 USSR
8) Vasiliev, Nikolay U., Nochnya svetiashiesa oblaka, Moskva
"Nauka," 1965
9) Brown, P.L., COMETS, METEORITES, AND MEN, Taplinger Publishing
Company, New York (1974)
RESEARCHED BY:
KEN WILLOUGHBY
BOX 317
FAIRACRES, NEW MEXICO 88033-0317.
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