Fireball of Tutankhamun, The
Original title: The Fireball of Tutankhamun
Duration: 49’
Producer: Richard Reisz
Director: Cynthia Page
Participant: Richard Reisz
Company: TV6 LIMITED
Scientific field: Astronomy, Geology
Year: 2006
Country: UK
The story of how a mysterious gem in one of Tutankhamun’s necklaces led to the discovery of a dramatic new cosmic threat. The gem was recently identified as a type of glass found in the middle of the Egyptian Sahara. But why is this beautiful glass scattered about in the desert? The worldwide quest for an answer ranged from Egypt, to Italy, Siberia to Germany, and finally to the US.
There, scientist Mark Boslough decided to take a trip across the sand dunes to see the glass for himself – and back in his lab, he was able to load all the known data into the world’s most powerful super-computers to reveal the truth. He discovered that small asteroids, too small even to detect, are potentially a significant danger – and the glass in the desert is evidence of their awesome power.
Fireball of Tutankhamun, The
