The flow around tunguska meteor

Abstract

The flow-field around an object that fell in the Tunguska region of Siberia in 1908 is numerically reconstructed using the long-range interaction model of Park et al. Assuming that the object was a small comet and that the comet broke up into small spherical fragments as they flew in the atmosphere, computational-fluid-dynamics calculation was made for the flow around the fragments to determine the effect of the aerodynamic drag produced by the fragments. The equation of motion was integrated for the fragments to determine their flight trajectories. The flow was assumed to be in thermochemical equilibrium and radiative heating rates and the radiation power emitted forward are calculated. The results recreate all known features of the event including the fact that there was no debris on the ground and that the luminosity of the object flared.