In 1962, United States Detonated A Nuclear Bomb In Space. Here Is Why They Did It

So, ever wondered what would a nuclear explosion in space look like? We have the answer. How do we have it? That’s because on 9th July, 1962, US detonated a nuclear weapon about 240 miles into the sky. It was named Starfish Prime and it had an explosive yield of 1.45 megatons, about 100 times the bomb that was used on Hiroshima.

The blast was part of the 5 suborbital tests that were carried out by the US during the Cold War and nuclear arms race to study the effects of nuclear weapons in outer space and high altitudes. The warheads after being detonated gave off heat and light along with high number of X and gamma rays. The effects of the blasts were felt thousands of kilometers away as well.

In fact, the effects were felt from New Zealand to Hawaii within a short period of time. Planes underwent electrical surges, lamplights were blown and a giant aurora bloomed in the sky. An electromagnetic field was generated above the earth and was bigger in size than what scientists were anticipating. This happened because of the excitement of electrons and them accelerating at surreal speeds.

YouTube Video of Nuclear Explosion

Here is a bit longer documentary on the subject