Science, Tech, Math › Science Trinity Explosion Share Flipboard Email Print Science Chemistry Physical Chemistry Basics Chemical Laws Molecules Periodic Table Projects & Experiments Scientific Method Biochemistry Medical Chemistry Chemistry In Everyday Life Famous Chemists Activities for Kids Abbreviations & Acronyms Biology Physics Geology Astronomy Weather & Climate By Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D. Chemistry Expert Ph.D., Biomedical Sciences, University of Tennessee at Knoxville B.A., Physics and Mathematics, Hastings College Dr. Helmenstine holds a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences and is a science writer, educator, and consultant. She has taught science courses at the high school, college, and graduate levels. our editorial process Facebook Facebook Twitter Twitter Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D. Updated November 05, 2019 01 of 09 Trinity Explosion Trinity was part of the Manhattan Project. Very few color images of the Trinity explosion exist. This is one of several spectacular black and white photos. This photo was taken 0.016 seconds after the explosion, July 16, 1945. Los Alamos National Laboratory First Nuclear Test Photo Gallery The Trinity explosion marked the first successful detonation of a nuclear device. This is a photo gallery of historic Trinity explosion images. Trinity Facts and Figures Next Test: Operation Crossroads 02 of 09 Trinity Nuclear Explosion "Trinity" was the first nuclear test explosion. This famous photograph was taken by Jack Aeby, July 16, 1945, a member of the Special Engineering Detachment at Los Alamos laboratory, working on the Manhattan Project. US Department of Energy 03 of 09 Trinity Test Basecamp This was the base camp for the Trinity test. U.S. Department of Energy 04 of 09 Trinity Crater This is an aerial view of the crater produced by the Trinity test. U.S. Department of Energy This photograph was taken 28 hours after the Trinity explosion at White Sands, New Mexico. The crater visible to the southeast was produced by the detonation of 100 tons of TNT on May 7, 1945. The straight dark lines are roads. 05 of 09 Trinity Ground Zero This is a photo of two men in the Trinity crater at Ground Zero, following the explosion. The photo was taken in August 1945 by the Los Alamos military police. U.S. Department of Defense 06 of 09 Trinity Fallout Diagram This is a diagram of the radioactive fallout produced as a result of the Trinity test. Dake, Creative Commons License 07 of 09 Trinitite or Alamogordo Glass Trinitite, also known as atomsite or Alamogordo glass, is the glass produced when the Trinity nuclear bomb test melting the ground of the desert near Alamogordo, New Mexico on July 16, 1945. Most of the mildly radioactive glass is light green. Shaddack, Creative Commons License 08 of 09 Trinity Site Landmark The Trinity Site Obelisk, located at the White Sands Missile Range outside of San Antonio, New Mexico, is on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Samat Jain, Creative Commons License The black plaque on the Trinity Site Obelisk reads: Trinity Site Where The World's First Nuclear Device Was Exploded On July 16, 1945 Erected 1965 White Sands Missile Range J Frederick Thorlin Major General U.S. Army Commanding The gold plaque declares the Trinity site a National Historic Landmark and reads: Trinity Site has been designated a National Historical Landmark This Site Possesses National Significance In Commemorating The History of the United States of America 1975 National Park Service United States Department of the Interior 09 of 09 Oppenheimer at the Trinity Test This photo shows J. Robert Oppenheimer (light-colored hat with foot on rubble), General Leslie Groves (in military dress to Oppenheimer's left), and others at ground zero of the Trinity test. U.S. Department of Energy This photo was taken after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which was quite a while after the Trinity test. It is one of the few public domain (US government) photos taken of Oppenheimer and Groves at the test site.