Trinity Explosion

by
Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.
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.
Updated March 06, 2017
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Trinity Explosion

Trinity was part of the Manhattan Project.
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

Test Site: Trinity Site, New Mexico, USA
Date: July 16, 1945
Type of Test: Atmospheric
Type of Device: Fission
Yield: 20 kilotons of TNT (84 TJ)
Fireball Dimensions: 600 feet wide (200 m)
Previous Test: None -- Trinity was the first test
Next Test: Operation Crossroads
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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
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Trinity Test Basecamp

This was the base camp for the Trinity test.
This was the base camp for the Trinity test. U.S. Department of Energy
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Trinity Crater

This is an aerial view of the crater produced by the Trinity test.
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.

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Trinity Ground Zero

This is a photo of two men in the Trinity crater at Ground Zero, following the explosion.
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
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Trinity Fallout Diagram

This is a diagram of the radioactive fallout produced as a result of the Trinity test.
This is a diagram of the radioactive fallout produced as a result of the Trinity test. Dake, Creative Commons License
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Trinitite or Alamogordo Glass

Trinitite, also known as atomsite or Alamogordo glass, is the glass produced by the Trinity test.
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
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Trinity Site Landmark

This is the Trinity Site Obelisk.
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

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Oppenheimer at the Trinity Test

Oppenheimer and Groves at the Trinity test site.
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.