The Sikhote-Alin Meteorite
One winter morning, a fireball brighter than the sun crossed the sky over the Russian Far East, and iron rained down on the mountains.
What was reported
Late on the morning of 12 February 1947, people in the Russian Far East saw a fireball brighter than the sun streak across the sky, leaving a smoke trail that hung in the air for hours. Moments later came a deafening roar.
In the snowy Sikhote-Alin mountains, an iron meteorite had broken apart in the air and showered the forest with fragments, blasting more than a hundred craters.
Explanations offered
Scientists from the Soviet Academy of Sciences reached the site and recovered more than 20 tonnes of iron meteorite. It is one of the largest meteorite falls ever witnessed, and pieces are now in museums and collections worldwide. A Soviet stamp marked its tenth anniversary.
- When
- 12 February 1947
- Where
- Sikhote-Alin Mountains, Primorsky Krai, Russia
- Witnesses
- Thousands across the Russian Far East
- Status
- Confirmed
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.