Vitim event
Encyclopedia
The Vitim event or Bodaybo event is believed to be an impact
by a bolide or comet
nucleus
in the Vitim River
basin. It occurred near the town of Bodaybo
in the Mamsko-Chuisky district of Irkutsk Oblast
, Siberia
, Russia
on September 25, 2002 at approximately 10:00 p.m. (local time). The event was also detected by a US military missile-defense satellite.
Some attempts were made to define the magnitude
of the explosion. U.S. military
analysts calculated it was between 0.2–0.5 kiloton
s, while Russian physicist Andrey Olkhovatov estimates it at 4–5 kilotons.
Information about the event appeared in the mass media and among scientists after only a week. Initially no one was able to understand the magnitude of the explosion. A small expedition, sent by the Institute of Sun–Earth Physics (Irkutsk
), tried to find a meteorite within about 10 km from Bodaybo town (people told them– "it has fallen beyond the nearest mountain!").
Some people suggest that this phenomenon is similar to the Tunguska event
of 1908.
Official expeditions in 2002–2003 never reached the impact site, situated in a remote Siberia
n taiga
.
(leader — V. Chernobrov) reached the presumed impact point (about 50 km from Vitimsky settle point). The situation there looked similar to that of the Podkamennaya Tunguska River
after the Tunguska event
in 1908. Snow and water samples were analyzed and found to contain an abnormal amount of tritium
, as well as radioactive
isotope
s of cobalt
and caesium
.
Summing up all the information, V.A. Chernobrov suggested that the Vitim event could be caused by a comet
nucleus with a diameter about 50–100 meters.
Impact event
An impact event is the collision of a large meteorite, asteroid, comet, or other celestial object with the Earth or another planet. Throughout recorded history, hundreds of minor impact events have been reported, with some occurrences causing deaths, injuries, property damage or other significant...
by a bolide or comet
Comet
A comet is an icy small Solar System body that, when close enough to the Sun, displays a visible coma and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena are both due to the effects of solar radiation and the solar wind upon the nucleus of the comet...
nucleus
Comet nucleus
The nucleus is the solid, central part of a comet, popularly termed a dirty snowball. A cometary nucleus is composed of rock, dust, and frozen gases. When heated by the Sun, the gases sublimate and produce an atmosphere surrounding the nucleus known as the coma...
in the Vitim River
Vitim River
Vitim River is a major tributary of the Lena River. With its source east of Lake Baikal, the Vitim flows 1,978 km north through the Transbaykalian Mountains and the town of Bodaybo. The river peaks in June and freezes from November to May. It is navigable from the Lena to Bodaybo. Upstream,...
basin. It occurred near the town of Bodaybo
Bodaybo
Bodaybo is a town in Irkutsk Oblast, Russia, located on the Vitim River at its confluence with the Bodaybo River. Population: 12,800 ....
in the Mamsko-Chuisky district of Irkutsk Oblast
Irkutsk Oblast
Irkutsk Oblast is a federal subject of Russia , located in southeastern Siberia in the basins of Angara River, Lena, and Nizhnyaya Tunguska Rivers. The administrative center is the city of Irkutsk. Population: -History:...
, Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
on September 25, 2002 at approximately 10:00 p.m. (local time). The event was also detected by a US military missile-defense satellite.
Some attempts were made to define the magnitude
Magnitude (mathematics)
The magnitude of an object in mathematics is its size: a property by which it can be compared as larger or smaller than other objects of the same kind; in technical terms, an ordering of the class of objects to which it belongs....
of the explosion. U.S. military
United States armed forces
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military...
analysts calculated it was between 0.2–0.5 kiloton
TNT equivalent
TNT equivalent is a method of quantifying the energy released in explosions. The ton of TNT is a unit of energy equal to 4.184 gigajoules, which is approximately the amount of energy released in the detonation of one ton of TNT...
s, while Russian physicist Andrey Olkhovatov estimates it at 4–5 kilotons.
Information about the event appeared in the mass media and among scientists after only a week. Initially no one was able to understand the magnitude of the explosion. A small expedition, sent by the Institute of Sun–Earth Physics (Irkutsk
Irkutsk
Irkutsk is a city and the administrative center of Irkutsk Oblast, Russia, one of the largest cities in Siberia. Population: .-History:In 1652, Ivan Pokhabov built a zimovye near the site of Irkutsk for gold trading and for the collection of fur taxes from the Buryats. In 1661, Yakov Pokhabov...
), tried to find a meteorite within about 10 km from Bodaybo town (people told them– "it has fallen beyond the nearest mountain!").
Some people suggest that this phenomenon is similar to the Tunguska event
Tunguska event
The Tunguska event, or Tunguska blast or Tunguska explosion, was an enormously powerful explosion that occurred near the Podkamennaya Tunguska River in what is now Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia, at about 7:14 a.m...
of 1908.
Expeditions
- 1st - Russian MChS (Emergency Rescue) team tried to find an object near Bodaybo.
- 2nd - October, 2002 expedition of Irkutsk State UniversityIrkutsk State UniversityIrkutsk State University was founded in October 1918 in Irkutsk, Siberia.At present, the University consists of 10 faculties, 4 educational institutions and 2 branches. Over 18 thousand students including 300 foreign students from 27 countries study at University in 52 specialties. More than 620...
(leader S. Yazev).
Official expeditions in 2002–2003 never reached the impact site, situated in a remote Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
n taiga
Taiga
Taiga , also known as the boreal forest, is a biome characterized by coniferous forests.Taiga is the world's largest terrestrial biome. In North America it covers most of inland Canada and Alaska as well as parts of the extreme northern continental United States and is known as the Northwoods...
.
Kosmopoisk expedition
As reported by Kosmopoisk, in May 2003 an expedition, performed by KosmopoiskKosmopoisk
Kosmopoisk , or Spacesearch, is a self-styled all-Russian public scientific Organization , and an International Movement with interests in ufology, cryptozoology, and other mystery investigations....
(leader — V. Chernobrov) reached the presumed impact point (about 50 km from Vitimsky settle point). The situation there looked similar to that of the Podkamennaya Tunguska River
Podkamennaya Tunguska River
The Podkamennaya Tunguska is a river in Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia; it is an eastern tributary of the Yenisei and has a length of . The name of the river comes from the fact that it flows under pebble fields without open water...
after the Tunguska event
Tunguska event
The Tunguska event, or Tunguska blast or Tunguska explosion, was an enormously powerful explosion that occurred near the Podkamennaya Tunguska River in what is now Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia, at about 7:14 a.m...
in 1908. Snow and water samples were analyzed and found to contain an abnormal amount of tritium
Tritium
Tritium is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen. The nucleus of tritium contains one proton and two neutrons, whereas the nucleus of protium contains one proton and no neutrons...
, as well as radioactive
Radioactive decay
Radioactive decay is the process by which an atomic nucleus of an unstable atom loses energy by emitting ionizing particles . The emission is spontaneous, in that the atom decays without any physical interaction with another particle from outside the atom...
isotope
Isotope
Isotopes are variants of atoms of a particular chemical element, which have differing numbers of neutrons. Atoms of a particular element by definition must contain the same number of protons but may have a distinct number of neutrons which differs from atom to atom, without changing the designation...
s of cobalt
Cobalt
Cobalt is a chemical element with symbol Co and atomic number 27. It is found naturally only in chemically combined form. The free element, produced by reductive smelting, is a hard, lustrous, silver-gray metal....
and caesium
Caesium
Caesium or cesium is the chemical element with the symbol Cs and atomic number 55. It is a soft, silvery-gold alkali metal with a melting point of 28 °C , which makes it one of only five elemental metals that are liquid at room temperature...
.
Summing up all the information, V.A. Chernobrov suggested that the Vitim event could be caused by a comet
Comet
A comet is an icy small Solar System body that, when close enough to the Sun, displays a visible coma and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena are both due to the effects of solar radiation and the solar wind upon the nucleus of the comet...
nucleus with a diameter about 50–100 meters.
External links
- Meteorites Australia (Meteorites.com.au) The Vitim bolide http://www.meteorites.com.au/odds&ends/russia.html (latest update 26 March 2006)
- Cambridge Conference Network bulletins concerning the Vitim event http://abob.libs.uga.edu/bobk/ccc/cc060703.html
- BBC online article http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2309117.stm
- Times online article http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-705280,00.html
- Cambridge Conference Network archive concerning the event http://abob.libs.uga.edu/bobk/ccc/cc071003.html
- Kasatkina, E.A. & Shumilov, O.I. (2005). Some atmospheric and magnetospheric effects possibly related to the Vitim bolide impact. Retrieved June 24, 2005. http://www.cosis.net/abstracts/EGU05/00257/EGU05-J-00257.pdf
- Chernobrov, Vadim & Soleny, Alexander & Lawrence, Maria (2003). Results from the VITIM-2003 expedition (dead link) http://kosmopoisk.org/expeditions/show1.html?id=165Report