A nuclear mushroom is an ominous symbol of an explosion. Nuclear Mushroom An excerpt characterizing the Nuclear Mushroom

A short excursion into the world of the atom, eerie energy nuclear reaction And destructive force. All these deadly weapons are made by man. But, on the other hand, reactions occur every second on the Sun with forces many times greater than the explosions of the most powerful thermonuclear bombs, and the Sun gives life to all living things. Read and watch.

The most powerful hydrogen bomb was exploded 40 years ago. On the morning of October 30 at 11:32 a.m. over Novaya Zemlya in the area of ​​Mityushi Bay at an altitude of 4000 m above the land surface, a hydrogen bomb with a capacity of 50 million tons of TNT was exploded. The Soviet Union tested the most powerful thermonuclear device in history. Even in the “half” version (and the maximum power of such a bomb is 100 megatons), the explosion energy was ten times greater than the total power of all explosives used by all warring parties during the Second World War (including atomic bombs, dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki). The shock wave from the explosion circled the globe three times, the first time in 36 hours and 27 minutes.

The light flash was so bright that, despite the continuous cloud cover, it was visible even from the command post in the village of Belushya Guba (almost 200 km away from the epicenter of the explosion). The mushroom cloud grew to a height of 67 km. By the time of the explosion, while the bomb was slowly falling on a huge parachute from a height of 10,500 to the calculated detonation point, the Tu-95 carrier aircraft with the crew and its commander, Major Andrei Egorovich Durnovtsev, was already in the safe zone. The commander was returning to his airfield as a lieutenant colonel, a Hero Soviet Union. In an abandoned village - 400 km from the epicenter - wooden houses were destroyed, and stone ones lost their roofs, windows and doors. Many hundreds of kilometers from the test site, as a result of the explosion, the conditions for the passage of radio waves changed for almost an hour and radio communications stopped.

The bomb was developed by V.B. Adamskiy, Yu.N. Smirnov, A.D. Sakharov, Yu.N. Babaev and Yu.A. Trutnev (for which Sakharov was awarded the third medal of the Hero of Socialist Labor). The mass of the “device” was 26 tons; a specially modified Tu-95 strategic bomber was used to transport and drop it. The “super bomb,” as A. Sakharov called it, did not fit in the bomb bay of the aircraft (its length was 8 meters and its diameter was about 2 meters), so the non-power part of the fuselage was cut out and a special lifting mechanism and device for attaching the bomb were installed; at the same time, during the flight it still stuck out more than half of it. The entire body of the aircraft, even the blades of its propellers, was covered with a special white paint that protected it from the flash of light during an explosion. The body of the accompanying laboratory aircraft was covered with the same paint.

Some experts believe that it was this explosion that led to the understanding in political and military circles of the pointlessness of further nuclear race. One way or another, on August 5, 1963, an agreement was signed in Moscow banning nuclear weapons tests in three environments: in the atmosphere, outer space and under water. Nowadays more than 110 countries are its participants.

Below are photographs of atomic and hydrogen bomb explosions
Figures 31-34 show high-speed footage of one explosion, which shows the birth of an atomic mushroom. To enlarge a photo, click on it.

Click on the picture to enlarge it.

nuclear mushroom- a mushroom cloud that appears after a nuclear or thermal nuclear explosion, also called a radioactive cloud. So named because of the similarity of the shape to the shape of the fruiting body of mushrooms. A mushroom cloud is formed in all above-ground nuclear explosions, but this is not a distinctive feature of a nuclear explosion. A mushroom cloud is formed during ordinary explosions of sufficient power, during volcanic eruptions, strong fires and meteorite falls.

Physics of the phenomenon

The formation of a nuclear mushroom is the result of the Rayleigh-Taylor instability that occurs when a dust cloud rises. The air heated by the explosion rises, spins into a ring-shaped vortex and pulls a “leg” - a column of dust and smoke from the surface of the earth. Along the edges of the vortex, the air cools, becoming similar to an ordinary cloud due to the condensation of water vapor.

The “nuclear mushroom” after the end of the ascent is a mushroom-shaped cumulonimbus cloud that is highly developed in height, its top reaches a height of 15-20 km with an explosion power of about 1 megaton. After an explosion of sufficiently high power, heavy rains fall from the cloud, which can extinguish some of the ground fires along the path of the cloud.

A radioactive cloud poses a particular danger after a nuclear or thermonuclear explosion, especially on land. Dust particles containing radioactive substances attract water vapor and around them, as the cloud rises and cools, drops of water quickly form, falling to the ground in the form of radioactive rain, hail, snow, etc. Sediment from a nuclear mushroom cloud is a source of radioactive contamination and pose a threat to living beings.

A nuclear cloud does not form in all types of nuclear explosions. During space, high-altitude, underwater and deep underground (camouflage) nuclear explosions, a mushroom cloud does not form.

Image in culture

Nuclear mushroom on the emblem of the GRU Special Control Service

In modern culture, the nuclear mushroom is the most commonly used symbol nuclear war.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

See what “Nuclear mushroom” is in other dictionaries:

    English Nevada Test Site ... Wikipedia

    The mushroom is a special form of life, the kingdom of living nature. Mushroom is a small river in the Msta delta, Novgorod region. A nuclear mushroom is the result of a nuclear explosion. Grib (surname) Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian surname. Famous... ... Wikipedia

    Noun, m., used. compare often Morphology: (no) what? mushroom, what? mushroom, (I see) what? mushroom, what? mushroom, what about? about the mushroom; pl. What? mushrooms, (no) what? mushrooms, what? mushrooms, (I see) what? mushrooms, what? mushrooms, what about? about mushrooms 1. A mushroom is an organism... ... Dictionary Dmitrieva

    MUSHROOM, huh, husband. 1. A special organism that does not form flowers or seeds and reproduces by spores. Edible g. Poisonous g. Pogany g. (toadstool). Cap, mushroom stem. Bely city. Kingdom of mushrooms (one of the four highest spheres organic world; special).… … Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary

    - ... Wikipedia

    mushroom- A/; m. see also. fungus, mushroom, mushroom 1) a) A special organism that reproduces by spores. Edible mushrooms. Poisonous mushrooms. A nasty mushroom. (= poga/ ... Dictionary of many expressions

    - ... Wikipedia

    A; m. 1. A special organism that reproduces by spores. Edible mushrooms. Poisonous mushrooms. Nasty city (= toadstool). Cap, mushroom stem. Dried, salted, pickled mushrooms. White city. Red city (= aspen boletus). Rain city (white spherical with... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

    High air explosion Questa (Operation Dominic) Atmospheric nuclear explosion nuclear explosion occurring in a fairly dense ... Wikipedia


Robert Oppenheimer

Nuclear explosion

General Thomas Farrell:

Test name: Trinity
date: July 16, 1945
Place

1. Photo Wikicommons


Test name: Baker
date: July 24, 1946
Place: Bikini Atoll Lagoon
Explosion type
Power: 23 kilotons.

2. Photo US Navy


Test name: Castle Bravo
date: March 1, 1954
Place: Bikini Atoll
Explosion type: on a surface
Power: 15 megatons.

3. Photo Wikicommons


Test name:Castle Romeo
date: March 26, 1954
Place
Explosion type: on a surface
Power: 11 megatons.


Test name: AZTEC
date: April 27, 1962
Place: Christmas Island
Power: 410 kilotons.

5.



Test name: Chama
date: October 18, 1962
Place: Johnston Island
Power: 1.59 megatons

7.


Test name: Truckee
date: June 9, 1962
Place: Christmas Island
Power: more than 210 kilotons

8.


Part of Project Dominic, a series of nuclear weapons tests consisting of 105 explosions. Test name: Dog
date: 1951
Place: Nevada nuclear test site

9.

Test name: Fizeau
date: September 14, 1957
Power: more than 11 kilotons

10.

Test name: Annie
date: March 17, 1953
Place: Nevada nuclear test site
Power: 16 kilotons

11. Photo Wikicommons


Test name: “Unicorn” (fr. Licorne)
date: July 3, 1970
Place
Power: 914 kilotons



"Unicorn".


"Unicorn".


"Unicorn". Test name: Oak
date: June 28, 1958
Place
Power: 8.9 megatons

16.

Test name: Mike
date: October 31, 1952
Place
Power: 10.4 megatons


Test name: Grable
date: May 25, 1953
Place: Nevada nuclear test site
Power: 15 kilotons

18.


Test name: George
date: 1951
Place: Nevada nuclear test site

19.

Test name: Priscilla
date: 1957
Place: Nevada nuclear test site
Power: 37 kilotons

20.


21.


Castle Romeo, which we wrote about above.

22.


17. Name of the test: Umbrella
date: June 8, 1958
Place
Power: 8 kilotons

23.


Test name: Umbrella
date: June 8, 1958
Place: Enewetak Lagoon in the Pacific Ocean
Power: 8 kilotons

24.

Test name: Seminole
date: June 6, 1956
Place: Enewetak Lagoon in the Pacific Ocean
Power: 13.7 kilotons

25.

Test name: YESO
date: June 10, 1962
Place: Christmas Island
Power: 3 megatons

The atomic bombings of Hiroshima (left, atomic bomb “Little Man,” August 6, 1945) and Nagasaki (right, atomic bomb “Fat Man,” August 9, 1945) are the only example in the history of mankind of the combat use of nuclear weapons.

28.


The total number of deaths ranged from 90 to 166 thousand people in Hiroshima and from 60 to 80 thousand people in Nagasaki. Test name: Annie
date: March 17, 1953
Place: Nevada nuclear test site
Power: 16 kilotons

29.


As part of Operation Upshot Knothole, a series of 11 nuclear explosions carried out by the United States in 1953. A series of photographs showing the destruction of a house located 1 km from the explosion. AN602(aka “Tsar Bomba” and “Kuzka’s Mother” - a thermonuclear aerial bomb developed in the USSR in 1954-1961 by a group of nuclear physicists under the leadership of Academician I.V. Kurchatov.

30.


The most powerful explosive device in the history of mankind. According to various sources, it had a power of 57 to 58.6 megatons. Test name Atomic bombings/atomic explosions
Video cutting from nuclear tests Worldwide

"I have become death, the destroyer of worlds"
Robert Oppenheimer

Archival footage of nuclear bomb tests

Nuclear explosion- uncontrolled release process large quantity thermal and radiant energy as a result of a chain nuclear fission reaction or thermonuclear fusion reaction in a very short period of time. By their origin, nuclear explosions are either a product of human activity on Earth and in near-Earth space, or natural processes on some types of stars. Artificial nuclear explosions are powerful weapons designed to destroy large ground and protected underground military facilities, concentrations of enemy troops and equipment, as well as the complete suppression and destruction of the opposing side, the destruction of large and small settlements with civilians and strategic industry.

General Thomas Farrell: “The effect that the explosion had on me can be called magnificent, amazing and at the same time terrifying. Humanity has never created a phenomenon of such incredible and terrifying power.”

Test name: Trinity
date: July 16, 1945
Place: Test site in Alamogordo, New Mexico.

1. Photo Wikicommons


This was the test of the world's first atomic bomb. In an area 1.6 kilometers in diameter, a giant purple-green-orange fireball shot into the sky. The earth shook from the explosion, a white column of smoke rose to the sky and began to gradually expand, taking on a terrifying mushroom shape at an altitude of about 11 kilometers. The first nuclear explosion shocked the military and scientists. Robert Oppenheimer remembered the lines from the Indian epic poem "Bhagavad Gita": "I will become Death, the destroyer of worlds." Test name: Baker
date: July 24, 1946
Place: Bikini Atoll Lagoon
Explosion type: Underwater, depth 27.5 meters
Power: 23 kilotons.

2. Photo US Navy


The purpose of the tests was to study the effects of nuclear weapons on naval vessels and their personnel. 71 ships were turned into floating targets. This was the 5th nuclear weapons test.

The bomb was placed in a waterproof casing and launched from the LSM-60 ship. 8 target ships were sunk, among them: ships LSM-60, Saratoga, Nagato, Arkansas, submarines Pilotfish, Apogon, dry dock ARDC-13, barge YO-160. Eight more ships were heavily damaged. The explosion lifted several million tons of water into the air. Test name: Castle Bravo
date: March 1, 1954
Place: Bikini Atoll
Explosion type: on a surface
Power: 15 megatons.

3. Photo Wikicommons


Explosion hydrogen bomb. Castle Bravo was the most powerful explosion test ever conducted by the United States. The power of the explosion turned out to be much greater than the initial forecasts of 4-6 megatons. The crater from the explosion turned out to be 2 km in diameter and 75 m deep. In 1 minute, the mushroom cloud reached a height of 15 km. 8 minutes after the explosion, the mushroom reached its maximum size of 20 km in diameter. The Castle Bravo test caused the largest radioactive contamination in the United States and exposed local residents. Test name:Castle Romeo
date: March 26, 1954
Place: on a barge in Bravo Crater, Bikini Atoll
Explosion type: on a surface
Power: 11 megatons.

4. Photo US National Nuclear Security Administration | Department of Energy


The power of the explosion turned out to be 3 times greater than initial forecasts. Romeo was the first test carried out on a barge. The fact is that such nuclear explosions left large craters in the atoll, and the testing program would destroy all the islands. Test name: AZTEC
date: April 27, 1962
Place: Christmas Island
Power: 410 kilotons.

5.


These tests were carried out from 1962 to 1963 in the USA

6. Photo by National Nuclear Security Administration


Test at the Nevada Test Site on January 27, 1951 (Able explosion as part of Operation Ranger). Test name: Chama
date: October 18, 1962
Place: Johnston Island
Power: 1.59 megatons

7.


Part of Project Dominic, a series of nuclear weapons tests consisting of 105 explosions. Test name: Truckee
date: June 9, 1962
Place: Christmas Island
Power: more than 210 kilotons

8.


Part of Project Dominic, a series of nuclear weapons tests consisting of 105 explosions. Test name: Dog
date: 1951
Place: Nevada nuclear test site

9.

Test name: Fizeau
date: September 14, 1957
Power: more than 11 kilotons

10.

Test name: Annie
date: March 17, 1953
Place: Nevada nuclear test site
Power: 16 kilotons

11. Photo Wikicommons


As part of Operation Upshot Knothole, a series of 11 nuclear explosions carried out by the United States in 1953. Test name: “Unicorn” (fr. Licorne)
date: July 3, 1970
Place: atoll in French Polynesia
Power: 914 kilotons

12. Photo by Pierre J. | French Army


The largest thermonuclear explosion produced by France.

13. Photo by Pierre J. | French Army


"Unicorn".

14. Photo by Pierre J. | French Army


"Unicorn".

15. Photo by Pierre J. | French Army


"Unicorn". Test name: Oak
date: June 28, 1958
Place
Power: 8.9 megatons

16.

Test name: Mike
date: October 31, 1952
Place: Elugelab Island (“Flora”), Enewate Atoll
Power: 10.4 megatons

17. Photo by National Nuclear Security Administration


The device detonated during Mike's test, called the "sausage", was the first true megaton-class "hydrogen" bomb. The mushroom cloud reached a height of 41 km with a diameter of 96 km. Mike's power was greater than all the bombs dropped in World War II. Test name: Grable
date: May 25, 1953
Place: Nevada nuclear test site
Power: 15 kilotons

18.


Produced as part of Operation Upshot Knothole, a series of 11 nuclear explosions carried out by the United States in 1953. Test name: George
date: 1951
Place: Nevada nuclear test site

19.

Test name: Priscilla
date: 1957
Place: Nevada nuclear test site
Power: 37 kilotons

20.


As part of the "Plumbbob" test series in May - October 1957.

21.


Another photo of a nuclear explosion Castle Romeo, which we wrote about above.

22.


Copies of the first atomic bombs “Little Boy” with a charge mass of 16 kilotons and “Fat Man” with a charge mass of 21 kilotons. It was “Baby” that was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, and “Fat Man” on Nagasaki on August 9, 1945. 17. Name of the test: Umbrella
date: June 8, 1958
Place: Enewetak Lagoon in the Pacific Ocean
Power: 8 kilotons

23.


An underwater nuclear explosion was carried out during Operation Hardtack. Decommissioned ships were used as targets. Test name: Umbrella
date: June 8, 1958
Place: Enewetak Lagoon in the Pacific Ocean
Power: 8 kilotons

24.

Test name: Seminole
date: June 6, 1956
Place: Enewetak Lagoon in the Pacific Ocean
Power: 13.7 kilotons

25.

Test name: YESO
date: June 10, 1962
Place: Christmas Island
Power: 3 megatons

A short excursion into the world of the atom, the terrible energy of a nuclear reaction and destructive power. All these deadly weapons are made by man. But, on the other hand, reactions occur every second on the Sun with forces many times greater than the explosions of the most powerful thermonuclear bombs, and the Sun gives life to all living things. Read and watch.

The most powerful hydrogen bomb was exploded 40 years ago. On the morning of October 30 at 11:32 a.m. over Novaya Zemlya in the area of ​​Mityushi Bay at an altitude of 4000 m above the land surface, a hydrogen bomb with a capacity of 50 million tons of TNT was exploded. The Soviet Union tested the most powerful thermonuclear device in history. Even in the “half” version (and the maximum power of such a bomb is 100 megatons), the explosion energy was ten times higher than the total power of all explosives used by all the warring parties during the Second World War (including the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki). The shock wave from the explosion circled the globe three times, the first time in 36 hours and 27 minutes.

The light flash was so bright that, despite the continuous cloud cover, it was visible even from the command post in the village of Belushya Guba (almost 200 km away from the epicenter of the explosion). The mushroom cloud grew to a height of 67 km. By the time of the explosion, while the bomb was slowly falling on a huge parachute from a height of 10,500 to the calculated detonation point, the Tu-95 carrier aircraft with the crew and its commander, Major Andrei Egorovich Durnovtsev, was already in the safe zone. The commander was returning to his airfield as a lieutenant colonel, Hero of the Soviet Union. In an abandoned village - 400 km from the epicenter - wooden houses were destroyed, and stone ones lost their roofs, windows and doors. Many hundreds of kilometers from the test site, as a result of the explosion, the conditions for the passage of radio waves changed for almost an hour and radio communications stopped.

The bomb was developed by V.B. Adamskiy, Yu.N. Smirnov, A.D. Sakharov, Yu.N. Babaev and Yu.A. Trutnev (for which Sakharov was awarded the third medal of the Hero of Socialist Labor). The mass of the “device” was 26 tons; a specially modified Tu-95 strategic bomber was used to transport and drop it. The “super bomb,” as A. Sakharov called it, did not fit in the bomb bay of the aircraft (its length was 8 meters and its diameter was about 2 meters), so the non-power part of the fuselage was cut out and a special lifting mechanism and device for attaching the bomb were installed; at the same time, during the flight it still stuck out more than half of it. The entire body of the aircraft, even the blades of its propellers, was covered with a special white paint that protected it from the flash of light during an explosion. The body of the accompanying laboratory aircraft was covered with the same paint.

Some experts believe that it was this explosion that led to the understanding in political and military circles of the pointlessness of further nuclear race. One way or another, on August 5, 1963, an agreement was signed in Moscow banning nuclear weapons tests in three environments: in the atmosphere, outer space and under water. Nowadays more than 110 countries are its participants.

Below are photographs of atomic and hydrogen bomb explosions
Figures 31-34 show high-speed footage of one explosion, which shows the birth of an atomic mushroom. To enlarge a photo, click on it.

Click on the picture to enlarge it.

In recent days, everyone has been discussing whether the third world war will begin between the USA and Russia or not. In the media and social networks you constantly come across materials about the coming “nuclear apocalypse”, which in turn provokes attacks of fear and hysteria in many. Over the past years, we have already forgotten the warning signals, and the younger generation knows about the threat only by computer games. Life tells what to do if a nuclear mushroom appears on the horizon.

This is, of course, not the Cuban Missile Crisis, but the degree of paranoia in the air has increased sharply. And although no one promises to turn other countries into “nuclear ashes,” there are still enough reasons. The latest of these is the US threat to launch a missile strike on Syria.

The atomic threat has already been largely erased from people's memory. Hardly anyone will now say what one long beep and two short beeps mean, or will quickly answer where the nearest bomb shelter is located. The nuclear mushroom on the horizon has become something like a zombie apocalypse - pure fantasy from books about stalkers and the third world war. We imagined how a reader of such literature would survive after a real nuclear strike.

First day

The threat of nuclear war was a tempting prospect for me. “Battles with marauders”, “survival in radioactive forests”, “clashes with mutants” - this sounded even cooler than a “zombie apocalypse”. I went online, found out that if something happened, Washington would start bombing cities at six o’clock in the evening, and read what products to take. I went to the dacha and took my grandfather’s cartridges - in the event of an apocalypse, they will become the most valuable resource. In addition, I purchased a pistol through an anonymous browser. In addition, I bought a used car so that after the explosion I could go into the forest.

Valuable tips:

  • The need to take weapons and ammunition with you is one of the most common myths about the nuclear apocalypse. Marauders and even more so mutants are nothing more than a figment of the imagination of writers. If you take weapons and ammunition with you, you will have to part with them at the first checkpoint.
  • Instead of filling your backpack with pasta, take as many medications as possible. You will need antibiotics, insulin, and a variety of wound care products. Please note: you will not be able to obtain truly effective anti-radiation agents in advance. Drinking iodine, as most guides advise, is also not worth it, except for self-soothing.

Second day

A huge nuclear mushroom appeared on the horizon. I admired it from the window of my house, then quickly grabbed my backpack and went down to the garage. He turned on the car and drove into the forests to survive.

Valuable tips:

  • You will hardly need transport. And in the forest you definitely won’t be able to hide from the explosion (and subsequent radioactive fallout). If after the explosion you find yourself far from the affected area, then the car, of course, will help. However, a pre-prepared car in the garage of your home is not the most useful thing. In the first hours after the explosion, it is better to sit at home. If the glass has survived, then simply post a signal for help and wait. You need to wait about three days - during this time the radioactive background will significantly decrease.
  • The walls of the house do a good job of weakening radiation contamination. Prepare clothing that is as closed as possible and try to assess the situation. Don't panic. Turn on the TV and try to understand what happened - an explosion at a nuclear power plant, a terrorist attack, or a third one has begun World War. After that, wait for rescuers or the military. Only they really know what needs to be done. It is better not to believe memos that have been floating around the Internet for decades and guides from stalker forums. Only the military has valid manuals, and they are not suitable for civilians.
  • It’s better not to look at the “mushroom” - you can get a burn to the retina.
  • Don’t count too much on mobile communications - if the third world war breaks out, you most likely won’t have access to it.

Valuable tips:

  • Not all metro stations are suitable. You need deep stations that have retractable doors and a good ventilation system. Among the deep stations we can note "Admiralteyskaya" in St. Petersburg and the "Park Pobedy" station in Moscow. The metro may indeed be more useful than a bomb shelter, since it is regularly inspected. But staying in the subway for a long time is also not recommended. When the background subsides, try to leave the affected area. In this case, it is better to move underground - reduce your stay on the surface to a minimum.
  • Once again: there is no need to go or run anywhere. Try to figure out which explosion zone you are in.

Valuable tips:

  • Don't expect your life in a bomb shelter to be filled with dramatic events. Kitchen, toilet, bedroom - this is your route for the next couple of weeks.
  • The main entertainment is, of course, information from outside. Bomb shelters are equipped (if you're lucky) with communication points.
  • Despite the nervous situation, it is better not to run around the bomb shelter, so as not to increase the production of carbon dioxide.

Day ten

We rose to the surface for the first time. Now the adventures should definitely begin: searching for food, hunting, fights with marauders.

  • If you still have to look for food, then do it as far as possible from the affected area. We are talking about 100 kilometers from the epicenter of a nuclear explosion. Forget about hunting cats and dogs - the simpler the food, the less nuclides it contains. Therefore, it is better to get by with plant foods. But in general, of course, it is wiser not to get food, but to eat exclusively canned food.
  • It's best to stay with the military as long as possible. The military will assemble buses for emergency evacuation of people. After transferring to the tent camp, you will need to change clothes and undergo disinfection. If the dose of radiation received is too high, you will be sent to hospital. In addition, you need to obtain anti-radiation medications.
  • If the third world war begins, they will come for you from the military registration and enlistment office. The rest will wait to be transferred to the rear.
  • In the event of a single explosion, you will be transferred to children's camps and rest homes for temporary accommodation.

In recent days, everyone has been discussing whether the third world war will begin between the USA and Russia or not. In the media and social networks you constantly come across materials about the coming “nuclear apocalypse”, which in turn provokes attacks of fear and hysteria in many. Over the past years, we have already forgotten the warning signals, and the younger generation knows about the threat only from computer games. Life tells what to do if a nuclear mushroom appears on the horizon.

This is, of course, not the Cuban Missile Crisis, but the degree of paranoia in the air has increased sharply. And although no one promises to turn other countries into “nuclear ashes,” there are still enough reasons. The latest of these is the US threat to launch a missile strike on Syria.

The atomic threat has already been largely erased from people's memory. Hardly anyone will now say what one long beep and two short beeps mean, or will quickly answer where the nearest bomb shelter is located. The nuclear mushroom on the horizon has become something like a zombie apocalypse - pure fantasy from books about stalkers and the third world war. We imagined how a reader of such literature would survive after a real nuclear strike.

First day

The threat of nuclear war was a tempting prospect for me. “Battles with marauders”, “survival in radioactive forests”, “clashes with mutants” - this sounded even cooler than a “zombie apocalypse”. I went online, found out that if something happened, Washington would start bombing cities at six o’clock in the evening, and read what products to take. I went to the dacha and took my grandfather’s cartridges - in the event of an apocalypse, they will become the most valuable resource. In addition, I purchased a pistol through an anonymous browser. In addition, I bought a used car so that after the explosion I could go into the forest.

Valuable tips:

  • The need to take weapons and ammunition with you is one of the most common myths about the nuclear apocalypse. Marauders and even more so mutants are nothing more than a figment of the imagination of writers. If you take weapons and ammunition with you, you will have to part with them at the first checkpoint.
  • Instead of filling your backpack with pasta, take as many medications as possible. You will need antibiotics, insulin, and a variety of wound care products. Please note: you will not be able to obtain truly effective anti-radiation agents in advance. Drinking iodine, as most guides advise, is also not worth it, except for self-soothing.

Second day

Still from the film “The Book of Eli” / © Kinopoisk

A huge nuclear mushroom appeared on the horizon. I admired it from the window of my house, then quickly grabbed my backpack and went down to the garage. He turned on the car and drove into the forests to survive.

Valuable tips:

  • You will hardly need transport. And in the forest you definitely won’t be able to hide from the explosion (and subsequent radioactive fallout). If after the explosion you find yourself far from the affected area, then the car, of course, will help. However, a pre-prepared car in the garage of your home is not the most useful thing. In the first hours after the explosion, it is better to sit at home. If the glass has survived, then simply post a signal for help and wait. You need to wait about three days - during this time the radioactive background will significantly decrease.
  • The walls of the house do a good job of weakening radiation contamination. Prepare clothing that is as closed as possible and try to assess the situation. Don't panic. Turn on the TV and try to understand what happened - an explosion at a nuclear power plant, a terrorist attack, or the third world war began. After that, wait for rescuers or the military. Only they really know what needs to be done. It is better not to believe memos that have been floating around the Internet for decades and guides from stalker forums. Only the military has valid manuals, and they are not suitable for civilians.
  • It’s better not to look at the “mushroom” - you can get a burn to the retina.
  • Don’t count too much on mobile communications - if the third world war breaks out, you most likely won’t have access to it.

Still from the film "The Road"/ © Kinopoisk

Valuable tips:

  • Not all metro stations are suitable. You need deep stations that have retractable doors and a good ventilation system. Among the deep stations we can note "Admiralteyskaya" in St. Petersburg and the "Park Pobedy" station in Moscow. The metro may indeed be more useful than a bomb shelter, since it is regularly inspected. But staying in the subway for a long time is also not recommended. When the background subsides, try to leave the affected area. In this case, it is better to move underground - reduce your stay on the surface to a minimum.
  • Once again: there is no need to go or run anywhere. Try to figure out which explosion zone you are in.

Still from the film "The Road"/ © Kinopoisk

Valuable tips:

  • Don't expect your life in a bomb shelter to be filled with dramatic events. Kitchen, toilet, bedroom - this is your route for the next couple of weeks.
  • The main entertainment is, of course, information from outside. Bomb shelters are equipped (if you're lucky) with communication points.
  • Despite the nervous situation, it is better not to run around the bomb shelter, so as not to increase the production of carbon dioxide.

Still from the film "The Road"/ © Kinopoisk

Day ten

We rose to the surface for the first time. Now the adventures should definitely begin: searching for food, hunting, fights with marauders.

  • If you still have to look for food, then do it as far as possible from the affected area. We are talking about 100 kilometers from the epicenter of a nuclear explosion. Forget about hunting cats and dogs - the simpler the food, the less nuclides it contains. Therefore, it is better to get by with plant foods. But in general, of course, it is wiser not to get food, but to eat exclusively canned food.
  • It's best to stay with the military as long as possible. The military will assemble buses for emergency evacuation of people. After transferring to the tent camp, you will need to change clothes and undergo disinfection. If the dose of radiation received is too high, you will be sent to hospital. In addition, you need to obtain anti-radiation medications.
  • If the third world war begins, they will come for you from the military registration and enlistment office. The rest will wait to be transferred to the rear.
  • In the event of a single explosion, you will be transferred to children's camps and rest homes for temporary accommodation.

Unique archival footage of nuclear bomb tests from all over the planet. It’s scary to imagine the consequences of this test.

A mushroom cloud with a column of water instead of a dust stalk. To the right, a hole is visible on the pillar: the battleship Arkansas covered the emission of splashes. Baker test, charge power - 23 kilotons of TNT, July 25, 1946.

Baker explosion, showing white surface of water disturbed by air shock wave, and the top of a hollow column of spray that formed a hemispherical Wilson cloud. In the background is the shore of Bikini Atoll, July 1946.

An aerial view of the Able nuclear mushroom rising from the Bikini Atoll lagoon, visible in the background. The cloud carried radioactive contamination into the stratosphere, 23 kilotons, July 1, 1946.

Operation Greenhouse was the fifth series of American nuclear tests and the second of them in 1951. The operation tested nuclear warhead designs using nuclear fusion to increase energy output. In addition, the impact of the explosion on structures, including residential buildings, factory buildings and bunkers, was studied. The operation was carried out at the Pacific nuclear test site. All devices were detonated on high metal towers, simulating an air explosion. George explosion, 225 kilotons, May 9, 1951.

The explosion of the American thermonuclear (hydrogen) bomb “Mike” with a power of 10.4 megatons. November 1, 1952

AN602 (aka “Tsar Bomba”, aka “Kuzka’s Mother”) is a thermonuclear aerial bomb developed in the USSR in 1954-1961. a group of nuclear physicists under the leadership of Academician of the USSR Academy of Sciences I.V. Kurchatov. The most powerful explosive device in the history of mankind. According to various sources, it had from 57 to 58.6 megatons of TNT equivalent. The bomb was tested on October 30, 1961.

One of the most powerful explosions of a thermonuclear hydrogen bomb in the US account was Operation Castle Bravo. The charge power was 10 megatons. The explosion took place on March 1, 1954 at Bikini Atoll, Marshall Islands.

Project Dominic is a series of nuclear weapons tests consisting of 105 explosions. During the Dominic project, the last atmospheric nuclear explosions were carried out in the United States, since on August 5, 1963, a treaty was signed between the USSR, the USA and Great Britain banning nuclear weapons testing in the atmosphere, outer space and under water. There is an explosion in the photo thermonuclear bomb“Trucky”, which was part of the “Dominique” project. Charge power - 210 kilotons. The date of the explosion was June 9, 1969.

Destruction of a building located 1 kilometer from the epicenter of a nuclear explosion, March 17, 1953. The time from the 1st to the last frame is 2.3 seconds. The chamber was placed in a lead shell 5 centimeters thick to protect it from radiation.

MET explosion carried out as part of Operation Thipot. It is noteworthy that the MET explosion was comparable in power to the Fat Man plutonium bomb dropped on Nagasaki. April 15, 1955, 22 kt.

200 meter cloud over Frenchman Flat after the Teapot "MET" explosion on April 15, 1955, 22 ct. This projectile had a rare uranium-233 core.

Operation Castle Romeo was one of the most powerful thermonuclear bomb explosions carried out by the United States. Bikini Atoll, March 27, 1954, 11 megatons.

“Rhea” is one of the most powerful thermonuclear bomb explosions produced by France. Charge power – 955 kilotons. August 14, 1971, Mururoa Atoll.

Another view of the Ray explosion. Charge power – 955 kilotons. August 14, 1971, Mururoa Atoll.

nuclear mushroom- a mushroom cloud that appears after a nuclear or thermonuclear explosion, also called a radioactive cloud. So named because of the similarity of the shape to that of the fruiting body of mushrooms. A mushroom cloud is formed in all above-ground nuclear explosions, but this is not a distinctive feature of a nuclear explosion. A mushroom cloud is formed during ordinary explosions of sufficient power, during volcanic eruptions, strong fires and meteorite falls.

Physics of the phenomenon

The formation of a nuclear mushroom is the result of the Rayleigh-Taylor instability that occurs when a dust cloud rises. The air heated by the explosion rises, spins into a ring-shaped vortex and pulls a “leg” - a column of dust and smoke from the surface of the earth. Along the edges of the vortex, the air cools, becoming similar to an ordinary cloud due to the condensation of water vapor.

The “nuclear mushroom” after the end of the ascent is a mushroom-shaped cumulonimbus cloud that is highly developed in height, its top reaches a height of 15-20 km with an explosion power of about 1 megaton. After an explosion of sufficiently high power, heavy rains fall from the cloud, which can extinguish some of the ground fires along the path of the cloud.

A radioactive cloud poses a particular danger after a nuclear or thermonuclear explosion, especially on land. Dust particles containing radioactive substances attract water vapor and around them, as the cloud rises and cools, drops of water quickly form, falling to the ground in the form of radioactive rain, hail, snow, etc. Sediment from a nuclear mushroom cloud is a source of radioactive contamination and pose a threat to living beings.

A nuclear cloud does not form in all types of nuclear explosions. During space, high-altitude, underwater and deep underground (camouflage) nuclear explosions, a mushroom cloud does not form.

Image in culture

Nuclear mushroom on the emblem of the GRU Special Control Service

In modern culture, the nuclear mushroom is the most commonly used symbol of nuclear war.


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See what “Nuclear mushroom” is in other dictionaries:

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    The mushroom is a special form of life, the kingdom of living nature. Mushroom is a small river in the Msta delta, Novgorod region. A nuclear mushroom is the result of a nuclear explosion. Grib (surname) Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian surname. Famous... ... Wikipedia

    Noun, m., used. compare often Morphology: (no) what? mushroom, what? mushroom, (I see) what? mushroom, what? mushroom, what about? about the mushroom; pl. What? mushrooms, (no) what? mushrooms, what? mushrooms, (I see) what? mushrooms, what? mushrooms, what about? about mushrooms 1. A mushroom is an organism... ... Dmitriev's Explanatory Dictionary

    MUSHROOM, huh, husband. 1. A special organism that does not form flowers or seeds and reproduces by spores. Edible g. Poisonous g. Pogany g. (toadstool). Cap, mushroom stem. Bely city. Kingdom of mushrooms (one of the four highest spheres of the organic world; special).... ... Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary

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    mushroom- A/; m. see also. fungus, mushroom, mushroom 1) a) A special organism that reproduces by spores. Edible mushrooms. Poisonous mushrooms. A nasty mushroom. (= poga/ ... Dictionary of many expressions

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    A; m. 1. A special organism that reproduces by spores. Edible mushrooms. Poisonous mushrooms. Nasty city (= toadstool). Cap, mushroom stem. Dried, salted, pickled mushrooms. White city. Red city (= aspen boletus). Rain city (white spherical with... ... encyclopedic Dictionary