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top 200 commentsshow all 323

[–]Itchy_n_Scratchy 59 points60 points ago

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Quite the popular location.

[–]JimCasy 50 points51 points ago

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Surrounding clouds : "OMG GTFO"

[–]ftc08 48 points49 points ago

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Military Guy #1: "Hey! I found this beautiful island in the south pacific we should..."

Military Guy #2: "NUKE THE FUCK OUT OF IT"

[–]daniel6990 17 points18 points ago

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I believe this is the same nuke but before the OP picture was taken.

[–]kcg5 2 points3 points ago

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They tested many weapons at these islands, underwater weapons, atomic, hydrogen,.

[–][deleted] 4 points5 points ago

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If you look on the horizon to the left of the explosion, theres a second small mushroom cloud. In OP's pic, you can just make out the remnants of that mushroom cloud.

[–]petergallo 1 point2 points ago

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Look at you, Mr Eagle Eyes! Good catch. Could it be a shadow from this mushroom cloud on distant clouds that get blown away in the op image?

[–]Gackt 1 point2 points ago

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You sir are a gentlem etc

[–]OompaOrangeFace 6 points7 points ago

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Wow, I've seen a lot of nuclear explosion pictures, but I think that is the first time I've ever seen that one.

[–]bebeschtroumph 4 points5 points ago

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Yup, here is a video of the tests. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8yvZ7pIZns

[–]TheTreeMan 2 points3 points ago

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Wow. Powerful.

[–]breakneckridge 2 points3 points ago

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bikini islands?

[–]Itchy_n_Scratchy 2 points3 points ago

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[–]smallestart 162 points163 points ago

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Will you at least admit a nuclear explosion is awesome http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMMyeZt7ZHQ

[–]LegoLegume 16 points17 points ago

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"Awesome: Extremely impressive or daunting; inspiring great admiration, apprehension, or fear."

Yeah, I'd say a nuclear blast qualifies.

[–]artman 62 points63 points ago

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I am become death, the destroyer of worlds. - J. Robert Oppenheimer - Bhagavad Gita

[–]ATalkingMuffin 33 points34 points ago

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In previous posts about nuclear explosions and this quote some well-read redditors mentioned that another accurate translation is:

"I am become time, the destroyer of worlds"

This translation really strengthens that quote in my mind so I'll pass it along.

[–]JimCasy 19 points20 points ago

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As a geologist I find this translation entirely more accurate.

[–]dejavont 7 points8 points ago

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So geology is just physics slowed down...?

[–]peaceisoverrated 1 point2 points ago

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You have it backwards, geology is physics over a much longer timescale then what we perceive. So its physics sped up.

[–]HostisHumaniGeneris 9 points10 points ago

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"You see this little trickle of groundwater? Watch it, its going to rip the SHIT out of this giant granite slab. Seriously, just keep watching. It'll only take a few million years or so."

[–]Mallincolony 6 points7 points ago

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Pretty sure physics happens over every timescale.

[–]dejavont 1 point2 points ago

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Same as how I can hold infinity between my thumb and pointer finger. It's just this much...

[–]dclowd9901 2 points3 points ago

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Yeah, it took me a minute until I put it into a historical context, and now I'm simply frightened.

[–]cicohipe 10 points11 points ago

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Mind = blown. Death & Time are the same person!!

[–]JesusTapdancingChris 9 points10 points ago

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Nah, Time doesn't love cats.

[–]last0nethere 1 point2 points ago

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Nah, Death doesn't love dogs.

[–]CthulhusPetals 2 points3 points ago

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I've never seen them in the same room.

[–]artman 0 points1 point ago

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That's why I linked to the video - he had paraphrased it many times.

[–]kcg5 0 points1 point ago

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Yes, but the more historically minded know what he said at Trinity.

[–]StopHavingFun 0 points1 point ago*

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कालोऽस्मि लोकक्षयकृत्प्रवृद्धो लोकान्समाहर्तुमिह प्रवृत्तः ।

kālo'smi lokakṣayakṛtpravṛddho lokānsamāhartumiha pravṛttaḥ,

I have only read sanskrit during sixth to eighth grade(more than 15yrs ago) so i don't remember much but this translation looks more accurate as

काल(kāl) = time so kālo'smi = Kal + asmi = i am time

लोक(lok) = world

EDIT:: Now i remember another meaning of kal is also death ( like your time has come)

[–]skribe 2 points3 points ago

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Captain Ramius: It is an ancient Hindu text, quoted by an American.

Poltical Officer Ivan Putin: An American?

Captain Ramius: Mmm. He invented the atomic bomb, and was later accused of being a communist.

[–]kcg5 0 points1 point ago

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Great movie, I forgot what scene this was in...

[–]skribe 1 point2 points ago

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Near the beginning after the Red October first submerges.

[–]kcg5 1 point2 points ago

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Ahhh, yes, where they change from russian to english?

[–]jaavaaguru 0 points1 point ago

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accused of being a communist

LOL. Like it's a crime or something.

[–]pilsner407 1 point2 points ago

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You should read "American Prometheus" if you're interested in Oppenheimer. A little dry, but worth checking out.

[–]oldjoe 4 points5 points ago

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Best thing I've seen today. It's only 8:14AM. You've got 17 hours, Reddit.

[–]UF_Engineer 1 point2 points ago

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Time is winding down; did you find anything more spectacular let?

[–]oldjoe 0 points1 point ago

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Nope. Zero on the final.

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points ago

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Yeah, but not in my back yard!

[–]P2Pdancer 0 points1 point ago

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"It sure is purrdy."

[–]JesusTapdancingChris 0 points1 point ago

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Sure, if you mean awe-inspiring.
I will not agree in the Barney sense of the word.

[–]den31 59 points60 points ago

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Couple of new nuclear tests should be scheduled so we could get some new real life HD video, and in 3D, and high speed. The bigger the better. Think of the blu-ray sales.

[–]CaseyG 79 points80 points ago

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Nuke Your Goddamned Face Off: The Imax Experience

[–]improperExpletive 18 points19 points ago

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In Disney Digital 3D™

[–]angrybread 5 points6 points ago

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Upnuke

[–]anuses 11 points12 points ago

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We already have the old tests in HD—it's just a matter of scanning the original 35- and 16mm film at a higher resolution. Who knows, maybe the Department of Energy might oblige us.

Not HD, but a nice collection nonetheless: http://stock.mrfootage.com/Disaster-Nuclear-Explosion-footage.php

[–]specialk16 15 points16 points ago

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Quicktime required.

Yeah.... no.

[–]WarmMothersQueef 9 points10 points ago

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Quicktime... Eh, I'd rather wait for the real thing.

[–]IveMadeA_HugeMistake 0 points1 point ago

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Get on it Pakistan.

[–]toddzilla10 8 points9 points ago

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You should check out Trinity and Beyond: The Atomic Bomb Movie. The DVD even comes with Red / Blue 3D glasses since one of the blasts was filmed in 3D. Also features footage of a nuclear artillery shell, underwater tests, and upper atmosphere explosions.

[–]toddzilla10 1 point2 points ago

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Oh, and narrated by the Shat.

[–]artbot5000 0 points1 point ago

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Also just arrived on Netflix watch it now.

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points ago

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I'd pay good money for that.

[–]IDontHaveTimeForThis 12 points13 points ago

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I'd download a torrent for that.

[–]kokogiak 19 points20 points ago

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Sort of self-plug, I recently posted 36 photos similar to this here: When We Tested Nuclear Bombs. The raw power of these is truly awesome, in the original sense of the word.

[–]elizzybeth 2 points3 points ago

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Wow, some of those photos really gave me chills--especially the crater ones, column of water ones, and test-house-after-the-explosion ones. Eerie.

[–]F_stop_cruz 15 points16 points ago

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+10 Rads

[–]Liquoid 68 points69 points ago

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From Fallout Manual:

The Mushroom Cloud

"The heat from fusion and fission instantaneously raises the surrounding air to 10 million degrees C. This superheated air plasma gives off so much light that it looks brighter than the sun, and is visible hundreds of kilometers (km) away. The resultant fireball quickly expands. It is made up of hot air, and hence rises at a rate of a few hundred meters per second. After a minute or so, the fireball has risen to a few kilometers, and has cooled off to the extent that it no longer radiates. The surrounding cooler air exerts some drag on this rising air, which slows down the outer edges of the cloud. The unimpeded inner portion rises a bit quicker than the outer edges. A vacuum effect occurs when the outer portion occupies the vacuum left by the higher inner portion. The result is a smoke ring. The inner material gradually expands out into a mushroom cloud, due to convection. If the explosion is on the ground, dirt and radioactive debris get sucked up the stem, which sits below the fireball. Collisions and ionization of the cloud particles result in lightning bolts lickering to the ground. Initially, the cloud is orange-red due to a chemical reaction when the air is heated. When the cloud cools to air temperature, the water vapor starts to condense. The cloud turns from red to white. In the final stages, the cloud can get about 100km across and 40km high, for a megaton class explosion."

[–]something_obvious 41 points42 points ago

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The part about the drag on the outer edges forming the vortex ring is not correct :(

It is actually caused by a strong buoyancy gradient between the inside and outside of the heated gas region. This buoyancy gradient results in a ring of vorticity production that generates the vortex you see. Drag does play a role, but much less than this buoyancy term.

[–]wanderjahr 26 points27 points ago

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I thought something sounded a bit off...

[–]Chieflazyhorse 10 points11 points ago

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It was something obvious, of course

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points ago

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That wasn't obvious at all!

[–]TheGsus 1 point2 points ago

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Just thought I'd mention: The "stem" is the result of the super heated ground (which retains heat better than air does) in the immediate vicinity of the explosion continuing to feed the heated gas region with more hot gas and air.

[–]madscientist777 4 points5 points ago

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Good, now explain why the death star explodes into a giant ring in space in the new version of star wars.

[–]pstryder 4 points5 points ago

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The equatorial trench is a weak spot between the two hemisphere's, and more of the energy of the explosion was able to escape with a lower energy loss, thus was brighter and faster than the rest of the explosion.

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points ago

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is there a part in that manual that says you should duck and cover?

[–]Liquoid 0 points1 point ago

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Of course there is!

Here!

[–]Rasassination 4 points5 points ago

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Video games can be fun and educational.

[–]potrockss 12 points13 points ago

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I first looked at the picture and was all like "Wow, imagine all the physics/chemistry going on there". But then I was like "lol, TLDR"

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points ago

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From the days when video games had REAL manuals.

[–]snoshy 1 point2 points ago

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Upboat for orangered.

[–]scinemo 1 point2 points ago

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lickering: word of the day.

[–]hot_coffee 19 points20 points ago

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I still can't get over the fact how mesmerizing and beautiful I find something horrifying like this to be.

[–]JimCasy 17 points18 points ago

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Horror and beauty being two sides of the same coin of awe, it's understandable.

[–]hydroxy 6 points7 points ago

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Aw(e) -ful
Awe - some

[–]GumboVision 4 points5 points ago

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Aw, cute

[–]JimCasy 2 points3 points ago

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Nice, I hadn't thought of that.

[–]InspecterJones 1 point2 points ago

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That's basically how I feel, I get completely lost in the beauty and power of it. It brings out more emotion out of me then almost any other image I've seen.

[–]tokenbearcub 13 points14 points ago

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"Where did they do the underground test?

In the Sahara, in the total waste land?

No, fuck off! In Tahiti! In paradise.

Why? "Because we're French."

Robin Williams

[–]ElMoog 2 points3 points ago

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US did the same thing, only in a different paradise island:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bikini_Atoll

[–]bebeschtroumph 0 points1 point ago*

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most of the US tests were in the Marshal Islands, specifically the Enewetak atol.

[–]pdmcmahon 6 points7 points ago

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Looks like Bikini Atoll. We nuked the FUCK out of that beautiful island.

[–]woodyallin 3 points4 points ago

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God Bless America

[–]Bluepuma38 13 points14 points ago

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This was from the French nuclear testing, codename Canopus. This was also the explosion Godzilla mutated from (according to the film's story), although the explosion shown in the film was actually from another explosion.

[–]BString 6 points7 points ago

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[–]triceracocks 1 point2 points ago

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The original Godzilla or the recent remake with Matthew Broderick?

[–]JimCasy 1 point2 points ago

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You just had to go and bring that up again didn't you.

[–]happywaffle 1 point2 points ago

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What, Digg being a decent site?

[–]joshmaker 5 points6 points ago

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If you liked that image you should check out this gallery from In Focus (created by the guy who used to do Boston's Big Picture)

[–]fgriglesnickerseven 10 points11 points ago

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Caesium dust - Don't breath this!

[–]Dalonger 3 points4 points ago

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I'm finding this very easy to masturbate to.

[–]doot_doot 4 points5 points ago

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DO NOT WANT

[–]Featherskill 28 points29 points ago

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Wow. Kinda makes you stop and think about just how significant we are.

[–]T_squid 22 points23 points ago

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Significant? the sun releases as much energy per second as around 1,838,095,238 Tsar Bomba's (the largest atomic bomb we have managed to construct)

[–]Jeffgoldbum 85 points86 points ago

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Yet a small squishy creature has created a device strong enough to be measured in the billions when compared to the sun.

[–]hugith 63 points64 points ago

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With great power comes great responsibility. And by that, I mean the Mythbusters should be granted access to the US nuclear arsenal.

[–]wkdown 14 points15 points ago

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With great power comes great responsibility.

Stay thirsty my friends

[–]mainsworth 4 points5 points ago

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Oi! I'm not squishy!

[–]betterredthendead 1 point2 points ago

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We are meat.

[–]Ph0ton 4 points5 points ago

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Keep in mind the energy density of the sun, per cubic meter, is less than the thermal output of the human body. The sun creates so much energy because it is so massive. I think it is very significant that we managed to create a reaction that releases a huge amount of energy so fast.

[–]KingJulien 2 points3 points ago

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Are you sure that's true? Wouldn't that mean parts of it would be... cold? Or do you mean the energy that's actually projected into space (not the thermal energy in the middle)?

[–]Ph0ton 14 points15 points ago*

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Yes. Lets do the calculations:

Total energy output of the sun / Volume of the sun = Energy Density of the sun

3.86 x 1026 watts / 1.412×1027 m3 = 0.2734 W/m3

Average weight of humans / Average density of humans = Average Volume of humans

69.25kg / 1000kg/m3 = 0.06925 m3

Basal Metabolic Rate / Volume = Energy Density of Human Beings

100w / 0.06925 m3 = 1444w/m3

So human beings put out more radiant energy per volume than the sun (by several orders of magnitude!). The sun is mostly made up of hydrogen and being a gas (or plasma in this case), is diffuse. This is mostly the reason why we have a higher energy density, seeing as we are made up of covalently bonded molecules. Of course we are talking about radiant energy and not potential energy here. There are certain parts of the sun that are more active than others, and the calculation is averaging it across the entire volume (though the same can be said for human beings). In the sun, it's assumed most of the matter will undergo fusion, versus the matter in your body would only undergo fusion after it has long disassociated and coalesced into a new star.

EDIT: Formatting and whatnot

[–]kcg5 3 points4 points ago

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To the confused, the Tsar was every bomb dropped in WWII times ten. Russia was not sure what it would do-they originally planned to build one 50% bigger.

http://www.carloslabs.com/projects/200712B/GroundZero.html

try the Tsar

[–]Misanthropologist 2 points3 points ago

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Yeah but we can still nuke the fuck out of the sun.

[–]Featherskill 0 points1 point ago

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"No, no, just fuckin' tell everybody you believe in this shit -- when they say the sun sucks, go, "Yeah, fuck the sun, I fuckin' hate it too, long live the fuckin' beast."

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points ago

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repeating of course

[–]Featherskill 1 point2 points ago

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Way to catch the inflection, guys.

/Sarcasm

[–]synaestring 5 points6 points ago

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Sarcasm? So you mean there's no inflection?

[–]Featherskill 4 points5 points ago

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Wait... yeah, no, yeah, but, still.

[–]bearicane 2 points3 points ago

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We can tear and fuse atoms at will, bath whole cities in atomic flame, send entire libraries across the planet in minutes, built matter at the atomic scale, rewrite the code of life, and transmute life.

And we are utterly insignificant.

However, we are wizards every last one of us.

[–]Featherskill 0 points1 point ago

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That's totally wizard, Annie.

[–]INukeAll 1 point2 points ago

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Yup, a nuclear bomb requiring a nuclear bomb to explode. It always seems so odd to me whenever i read about it.

[–]heyman284 1 point2 points ago

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That is kind of awsome

[–]tmm1641 1 point2 points ago

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It's beautiful

[–]sleeper141 1 point2 points ago

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its a great pic, but its difficult to put one of these clouds to scale. ive seen videos and other pics, but ive never truly been able to wrap my brain around how large the explosion really is :/

[–]jak0bk 4 points5 points ago

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Read about the Tsar Bomba.

It's shockwave circled the earth 3 times. Buildings were destroyed up to 40 miles away. The flash and heat wave were seen and felt 175 miles away. The shockwave could be seen in the air 400 miles away. It could cause third degree burns 62 miles away. It released 1.4% of the energy of the fucking sun.

The scary thing is that it was detonated at HALF of it's intended yield. It was designed to detonate at 100MT, but was reduced to 57MT to reduce nuclear fallout.

YouTube video of detonation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfoQsZa8F1c

[–]Tommstein 3 points4 points ago

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The scary thing is that it was detonated at HALF of it's intended yield. It was designed to detonate at 100MT, but was reduced to 57MT to reduce nuclear fallout.

Pussies.

[–]sleeper141 0 points1 point ago

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wow thanks for this

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point ago

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Fun fact, the mushroom cloud was ~7 times the height of Mt. Everest. Pretty crazy when you think about it.

[–]threebeees 1 point2 points ago

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It reminds me of a squid.

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points ago*

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I have always loved this picture because it reminds me of my mom when I was little. I do not know the first time I saw the picture but it was in my teenage years, but when I saw it I thought "that is my mother". The white part in the middle is her bathrobe, the small orange cloud in the middle of the robe is the sleeve and her hand. The big top does not look like her, but it could have been her hair. The picture makes me sad because this nuclear explosion reminds me of how much I love her and that I will miss here when she is gone. The devastating part near the ground is like her feet when she had just come out of the shower. I love you mom, I want to spend more time with you while we still can. You have always been there for me.

[–]2k1 0 points1 point ago

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scary!

[–]ThePriceIsRight 1 point2 points ago

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They always look like jellyfish to me.

[–]3ds 1 point2 points ago

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The goggles, they do nothing

[–]monkeysoap 1 point2 points ago

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Looks kinda like a giant space-worm, vomiting on the Earth.

[–]00zero00 1 point2 points ago

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Now I need to watch Dr. Strangelove

[–]tradecraft 1 point2 points ago

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I have this fantasy that somehow, somewhere in the future, we'll be able to watch live nuclear weapons tests from an armchair for entertainment. No one will be harmed and it will be awesome. It'll be like dinner and a nuclear weapons test and we'll call it a day.

[–]canadianman001 1 point2 points ago

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That was likely taken at night

[–]INukeAll 0 points1 point ago

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It was likely not. An entire mushroom cloud doesn't emit light. and by that point it has begun to cool and is no longer emitting light. also look at the shadows on the cloud itself. the difference between highlights and shadow is too great for taken at night. just because the sky is black doesn't mean its night.

Source- Im a photographer and a nuclear enthusiast.

[–]Minty_Kev 1 point2 points ago

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cool

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points ago

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can I buy a poster of this? Find it for me please.

[–]BlessTheZerg 5 points6 points ago

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It looks like a penis... That is all.

[–][deleted] 6 points7 points ago

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ctrl-f "penis"...satisfied.

[–]SomebodiesSon 4 points5 points ago

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Glad someone else saw that too.

[–]Komrad33 5 points6 points ago

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Is it just me or does it look like there is a huge vein covered cock about mid cloud?

[–]dclowd9901 15 points16 points ago

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So this is what happens down at the bottom of the comments thread.

[–]Komrad33 5 points6 points ago

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Sometimes you can even see the trolls feeding if your lucky

[–]Xixii 1 point2 points ago

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I see "death", the top of the midway mushroom is the bottom of his cloak.

[–]Komrad33 0 points1 point ago

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Cool=) I see what your talking about

[–]sativoxinse 1 point2 points ago

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it looks like a huge veiny cock going into an asshole (the asshole being the top part of the cloud)

[–]Komrad33 0 points1 point ago

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touche!

[–]RobbieBobbie 3 points4 points ago

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Reminds me of one of my farts.

[–]lessspecificusername 3 points4 points ago

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That's unfortunate.

[–]OhManThisIsAwkward 12 points13 points ago

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Unfartunate.

[–]Didji 1 point2 points ago

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You wind.

[–]syntaxspam 1 point2 points ago

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Definitely not as cool as this video demonstration: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMMyeZt7ZHQ

[–]Lady-Ganja 1 point2 points ago

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There is a mushroom in the mushroom cloud. How neat is that?

EDIT: [8]

[–]heeheeheee 0 points1 point ago

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That's pretty neat!

[–]dirtyword 0 points1 point ago

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I'll say.

[–]mcjtownkilla 0 points1 point ago

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so much beauty in so much destruction

[–]Nefilim314 0 points1 point ago

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Am I the only person who was looking for a hidden troll face?

[–]Sealbhach 0 points1 point ago

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A terrible beauty indeed.

[–]shpongolian 0 points1 point ago

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DAE see the thumbnail and think it was somebody shooting a basket ball?

[–]Vipren 0 points1 point ago

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How long ago was this one?

[–]artifacts 0 points1 point ago

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I don't know, some of the pixels, etc., etc.,

[–]ColdFission 0 points1 point ago

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I approve.

[–]InspecterJones 0 points1 point ago

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Does anyone know if it's possible to get a decent quality print of this?

[–]SnakeGriffin 0 points1 point ago

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I can't unsee the giant dong in the middle of the cloud...

[–]JonasTheBold 0 points1 point ago

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Damn. They should have done all nuclear tests at magic hour. And they should have used wide angle lenses more.

Such photographic opportunities missed. :(

[–]bland_name 0 points1 point ago

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With their dialect drawls and their nuclear dicks....

[–]Tillhony 0 points1 point ago

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Bikini Atoll?

[–]redpriest 0 points1 point ago

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That looks like one giant upvote

[–]gandalfthegui 0 points1 point ago

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If this is the bikini atoll test, my great uncle was here. A brilliant physicist its too bad Alzheimer has taken such a toll on him :/

[–]flexiblecoder 0 points1 point ago

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Badger badger badger...

[–]Ya_Dingus 0 points1 point ago

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Mushroom in a mushroom.

[–]thinkforyourself 0 points1 point ago

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Im pretty sure that this was a French gadget tested in the 70's. The mushroom cloud has a very distinct shape.

[–]Skolastigoat 0 points1 point ago

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in the words of Dr. Hibbert, Good God...

[–]LordHypnos 0 points1 point ago

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....ahehehehe

[–]soymilknonsense 0 points1 point ago

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Seriously. Fuck mankind

[–]donottakemeseriously 0 points1 point ago

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This picture was taken shortly after the first time I masturbated.

[–]l3ri 0 points1 point ago

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This reminds me of the awesome documentary I saw about Bikini Atoll. So freaking awesome.

[–]halfmanhalfcupboard 0 points1 point ago

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Beautiful, especially the upvote right in the middle of it.

[–]only_solipsist 0 points1 point ago

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Apocalyptically beautiful

[–]captchasarehard 0 points1 point ago

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Nice picture way cool looking. Yeah, take that! Bitchass island.

[–]IgnatiousReilly 0 points1 point ago

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I'm all for cutting the federal budget, but get me more of these, please.

[–]ptsaq 0 points1 point ago

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That looks like squid

[–]anom1984 0 points1 point ago

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Radiating the water?

[–]thirdeyeimages 0 points1 point ago

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but the pic is beautiful!

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point ago

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Have always dreamed of seeing an above ground TEST of a nuke...

[–]KingSnake91 0 points1 point ago

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I was staring...looking for the inevitable face that is photoshopped into nuclear explosions. Couldn't find one. Argh.

[–]angrytoast 0 points1 point ago

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The Atlantic's Photoblog, In Focus ran a series of images of nuclear testing recently.

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point ago

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It's nice to think that the simultaneous explosion of every nuke on Earth still wouldn't equal so much as a fart on the Sun. We should go back to worshipping the Sun.

[–]markender 0 points1 point ago

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"Thank you Father"

[–]guitarsummoner10 0 points1 point ago

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looks like a penis

[–]spriteburn 0 points1 point ago

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*nuculer

you're welcome

[–]GumboVision 0 points1 point ago

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Yep, that should get us into space!

[–]dartmanx 0 points1 point ago

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It's a girl (or transgendered) nuclear blast, as it appears to be wearing a dress.

[–]katesfishcamp 0 points1 point ago

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I have always wondered why that shit goes straight up instead of spreading out in every direction like an ordinary explosion.

[–]cdg76 0 points1 point ago

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recent post of IAMA of a pilot who had the job of flying high altitude airplanes (B58's) thru the bomb clouds on Christmas Island in the early 1960's, with home movies to prove it...

http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/gcm63/as_requested_iam_someone_who_has_witnessed_an/

[–]StetsonJetson 0 points1 point ago

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That's one tasty looking mushroom

[–]Gobuchul 0 points1 point ago

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[–]Hatwobble 0 points1 point ago

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Why don't we do this more often?

[–][deleted] ago

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[deleted]

[–]defrost 1 point2 points ago

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  1. When there is atmospheric nuclear testing the fallout does get to us.

British testing in South Australia on Emu Field dosed Adelaide, US tests at Yucca Flats spread fallout across significant area. Both the northern and southern hemispheres have distinct background radiation signatures as a result of testing.

  1. Alpha, Beta, Gamma are readily researched, alpha particles are made from atomic core, heavy, slow and dangerous if ingested. Beta particles are atomic shell (electrons), faster and able to penetrate further into materials than alpha particles although still relatively easy to stop. Gamma particles are high energy packets not unlike photons that can travel from the sun to earth and crash into the upper atmosphere creating auoras, radio interference and a cascade of particles and further radiation that reaches the ground.

  2. No.

  3. Solar is nuclear. - The articles on alpha / beta / gamma describe their differences, masses and mean energies, gamma gets around the most but it's relative to your criteria for "strongest". Again, read a book or two.

cheers.

[–]fonola 2 points3 points ago

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1.- the nuclear tests are made in solitary areas, deserts or the pacific ocean, the radiation will not spread too much (we still do not know too much about that). Regarding the particle decay, that varies depending on the radioactive particle. It can be from milliseconds to years. 2.- Radiation is when the atomic nucleus gets "destroyed" and it liberates particles at high speed, example: Uranium can disintegrate in Thorium and it liberates an Helium atom (this helium atom is the radiation). Alpha: when the particle that is liberated is an Helium atom (as the example before). Beta: when it liberates a high speed electron. Gamma: when the particle is a high energy photon (high energy electromagnetic wave) 3.- yes, when you are hit by one of this particles that comes from a disintegrated nucleus, it will hit you and disintegrate one of yours, this new one will generate another high energy particle (with a little less energy) that will continue the domino process. 4.- radiation is always nuclear, because it comes from atomic nuclei disintegrating. the Alpha radiation is the most powerful one because it is more massive.

Do you know that the we have exploded more that 2000 atomic bombs?!

Hope i was helpful

[–]Schpwuette 1 point2 points ago

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  1. Good question, I'd like to know that too.

  2. Radiation is either small, high speed bits of matter, like you say, or high energy 'light' (x rays, gamma rays). Beta particles are electrons; alpha are clumps of 2 protons, 2 neutrons; and gamma radiation is high energy light. Radiation isn't limited to these kinds, but these are the most common.

  3. It kills cells - makes you really ill. Gamma radiation is 'small' enough that it shreds your DNA, making cancer more likely than with other radiation. If you're exposed to enough radiation at once, you'll get all kinds of internal bleeding and other problems, and die pretty quick.

  4. Ah... think of radiation as having brightness, like a light. The brighter the source is, the more danger you are in. Nuclear bombs spread radioactive dust everywhere (fallout), each dust particle is a source of radiation. If you breathe in that dust, or drink water contaminated by the dust, then you'll have a source of radiation inside your body. That's when it gets dangerous. From outside your body, radiation isn't nearly as dangerous (in extreme cases it doesn't really matter, though). Just like light, it has a tough time getting through skin.

[–]Tobu 0 points1 point ago

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A small addition to put other answers in perspective: nuclear radiation (alpha beta gamma) doesn't go far, and pressure and temperature are lethal at a larger radius than ionising radiation. The source of radiation, uranium and plutonium, decays fast. However, radiation energy is reabsorbed and makes other particles radioactive. Those decay slowly and may travel. Fallout is when those particles of dust are carried by the air or the rain, and end up breathed and ingested, getting close to your organs. This can cause various diseases, and short-term mortality (radiation sickness). Particles that are assimilated and stay around in your body can steadily deliver radiation over the long term; for example mucking up your genetic material and causing cancer.