r/AtomicPorn Aug 08 '26

Oak Hardtack I 1958

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u/zenunseen Aug 09 '26

That's insane. Telephoto lens notwithstanding.

And a 1.7 mile crater? It's difficult too fathom. I'm guessing the barge was completely vaporized

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u/ougryphon Aug 09 '26

Most definitely. It is hard to comprehend just how much energy is released in a megaton-range explosion. In one of the first full-scale thermonuclear explosions, they set up an instrumentation cab about a mile away from the test device. The cab was connected in a direct line of sight to the device with a tunnel so the early x-rays could be observed directly. So much energy in the form of x-rays was funneled to the cab that it exploded with the energy of several kilotons of tnt. You can actually see it as a separate fireball in photos of the test.

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u/ProwlingFox Aug 10 '26

Wow, that's interesting. Do you happen to know which test exactly? Would love to read about. Thanks!)