2. The Tunguska Red Flash of 1908
A great explosion shook the far-off Siberian wilderness close to the Tunguska River on June 30, 1908. Although the event is mostly remembered for its enigmatic character and terrible effects, fewer well-known accounts describe a frightening red lightning show that preceded the detonation.
Just seconds before the earth-shaking explosion, witnesses from surrounding villages reported seeing the heavens ablaze in red bolts. Local farmer Semyon Semenov related, “The skies split in two, and fire appeared high and wide over the forest. The split in the sky grew larger, and the entire northern side was covered with fire.”
For decades academics have struggled to explain the crimson lightning seen during the Tunguska incident. According to some ideas, the interaction between the Earth’s atmosphere and the arriving cosmic body produced a special electrical discharge that triggered the phenomena. Others suggest that the enormous energy released by the explosion itself produced the red lightning.
Though several research trips to the region, the actual nature of the Tunguska event and related red lightning is still a topic of discussion. One of the most fascinating red lightning storms in history, the experience feeds rumours about extraterrestrial participation and unidentified atmospheric phenomena.