January 01, 2019

Some Other Russian Close Encounters


Popigai CraterPopigai – some 35 million years ago, a superbolide (fireball) impacted the ground in far northern Siberia, creating a 100-km crater and, evidence shows, playing a role in the Eocene-Oligocene extinction event. It is believed to be the fourth largest meteorite impact on Earth and was caused by an asteroid that was at least 5 kilometers in diameter.

Borodino – on September 5, 1812, Napoleon was marching towards Moscow, and a small meteorite fell out of the sky and landed near a Russian artillery battery not far from the village of Gorky. A sentry picked up the meteorite and gave it to battery Commander A. L. Dietrichs. Two days later, the horrific Battle of Borodino took place there and over 70,000 lost their lives.

Battle of Borodino


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