Trinity Test

On July 16, 1945, at 5:29:45 AM, a light "brighter than a thousand suns," filled the valley. As the now familiar mushroom cloud rose in to the sky, Oppenheimer quoted from Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad-gita, "Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds." The world had entered the nuclear age.

The "Gadget" had a yield equivalent to 19 kilotons of TNT. "Fat Man", the bomb dropped on Nagasaki was identical in design to the "Gadget."


Base Camp
Base Camp

A portion of the Alamogordo Bombing Range was chosen as the site for the Trinity Test.

Bring the Plutonium
Bring the Plutonium

Active material for the Trinity device is brought to the McDonald Ranch.

Plutonium Core
Plutonium Core

Sgt. Herbert Lehr delivering the plutonium core.

Test Tower
Test Tower

The Gadget at the base of the 100 foot test tower.

The Gadget
The Gadget

The Gadget atop the test tower.

Jumbo
Jumbo

Jumbo was designed to contain the plutonium if the bomb did not detonate properly.

Fireball
Fireball

The early fireball at .016 seconds.

Fireball
Fireball

The early fireball at .025 seconds.

Fireball
Fireball

The early fireball at .053 seconds.

Fireball
Fireball

The early fireball at .062 seconds.

Fireball
Fireball

The early fireball at .090 seconds.

Mushroom Cloud
Mushroom Cloud

The mushroom cloud starts to form at 2.0 seconds.

Mushroom Cloud
Mushroom Cloud

The mushroom cloud starts to form at 3.0 seconds.

Mushroom Cloud
Mushroom Cloud

The mushroom cloud starts to form at 4.0 seconds.

Mushroom Cloud
Mushroom Cloud

The mushroom cloud starts to take its familiar shape at 7.0 seconds.

Mushroom Cloud
Mushroom Cloud

The mushroom cloud starts to form at 12 seconds.

Color photograph of the Trinity Test
Trinity Test - Color

The only color photo of the test

At the Trinity Site
At the Trinity Site

In September 1945, many particpants returned to the Trinity Test site for news crews.

At the Trinity Site
At the Trinity Site

In September 1945, many particpants returned to the Trinity Test site for news crews.

Aerial View
Aerial View

This photo was taken 28 hours after the explosion.