Horrifying facts about human shadows appearing in the former Hiroshima bomb

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Intan Rakhmayanti, CNBC Indonesia

Tech

Thursday, 04/25/2024 14:05 IWST

Photo: Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs (AP/Stanley Troutman)

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Black shadows of people and objects such as bicycles, were found scattered on sidewalks and buildings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki after the atomic bombs exploded on August 6 and 9, 1945, respectively.

So, how did this shadow come about?

According to Dr. Michael Hartshorne, professor emeritus of radiology at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine, each bomb that explodes causes intense light and heat to radiate out from the point of explosion. Objects and people in the path of the blast protect objects behind them by absorbing light and energy. So that the surrounding light whitens the concrete or stone around the “shadow”.

In other words, the scary shadow is actually a picture of a sidewalk or building before the nuclear explosion occurred. It’s just that the rest of the surface has been bleached, making the routinely colored areas look like dark shadows, as quoted from Live Science, Thursday (25/4/2024).

Photo: Photo of a person’s reflection when the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, were found on the side of the road. (Doc. Universal History Archive via Detikcom)
Photo of a person’s shadow when the atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, found on the side of the road. (Doc. Universal History Archive via Detikcom)

Powered by fission

The powerful energy released during an atomic explosion is the result of nuclear fission. According to the Atomic Heritage Foundation, fission occurs when a neutron hits the nucleus of a heavy atom, such as the isotope uranium 235 or

plutonium 239. During collisions, the nuclei of elements break apart releasing large amounts of energy. The initial impact sets off a chain reaction that continues until all the ingredients are used up.

“The chain reaction occurs in an exponential growth pattern that lasts about a millisecond,” said Alex Wellerstein, assistant professor of science and technology studies at the Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey.

“This reaction splits about a trillion atoms over a period of time before the reaction stops,” he continued.

The atomic weapons used in the 1945 attacks were fueled by uranium 235 and plutonium 239 and released large amounts of heat and shortwave gamma radiation.

Energy flows as photon waves of varying lengths, including long waves, such as radio waves, and short waves, such as X-rays and gamma rays. Between long waves and short waves there are wavelengths that contain energy which when seen by our eyes is in the form of color. However, unlike longer wave energy, gamma radiation is damaging to the human body because it can penetrate clothing and skin, causing ionization or loss of electrons that damages tissue and DNA.

According to the Real Clear Science report, gamma radiation released by atomic bombs also spreads as heat energy which can reach 15,538 degrees Celsius. When energy hits an object, such as a bicycle or person, it is absorbed, protecting the object in its path and creating a whitening effect beyond imagination.

“In fact, there were likely many shadows initially, but most of them would have been destroyed by the blast and heat waves,” Hartshorne said.

(fab/fab)