1962 Hawaii EMP Blast

[Cagary]

Just wondering if there is any one around who witnessed the "light show" from the atomic bomb that was detonated about 250 miles above Johnston Island around 900 miles south of Hawaii in 1962.

I know 1962 was a while ago, but there should be some people around that were old enough to remember the event. Even after the flash from the blast, the night sky had aurora like lights for a few days. Must have been something to see. I wonder what the "authorities" told the people it was.

Apparently the EMP knocked some street lights in Honolulu. I wonder if there was any damage on the Big Island?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starfish_Prime

http://www.ece.unm.edu/summa/notes/SDAN/0031.pdf

-Veritas odium parit”(Terence 195–159 BC))-"Truth begets hatred".

[rainyjim]

This is interesting and I've never heard of this before thanks for posting. I wasn't alive though sorry! Also looking forward to hearing from any witnesses.

[dragon2k]

Wow.

[Kapohocat]

SB's dad was on Johnston Island when they did this.

[pahoated]

Life magazine covered it:

http://www.williamson-labs.com/images/emp-life.jpg
http://www.williamson-labs.com/images/emp-sfish2.jpg

To put some Puna perspective on it, the Kapoho eruption in 1960, just two years before, was probably more spectacular than seeing a momentary, glowing death ball in the sky.

http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4002/45464...da40_z.jpg

"This island Hawaii on this island Earth"

[Reneeelliott]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Cagary

Just wondering if there is any one around who witnessed the "light show" from the atomic bomb that was detonated about 250 miles above Johnston Island around 900 miles south of Hawaii in 1962.

I know 1962 was a while ago, but there should be some people around that were old enough to remember the event. Even after the flash from the blast, the night sky had aurora like lights for a few days. Must have been something to see. I wonder what the "authorities" told the people it was.

Apparently the EMP knocked some street lights in Honolulu. I wonder if there was any damage on the Big Island?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starfish_Prime

http://www.ece.unm.edu/summa/notes/SDAN/0031.pdf

-Veritas odium parit”(Terence 195–159 BC))-"Truth begets hatred".

---

I was here for that, at the age of ten! My dad got us up to see it in the middle of the night. I don't remember, but my older sister said that the sky was tomato red. It was publicized quite a bit before the event, as people were not as frightened of fallout then, as they are now, although we should have been. Attitudes and knowledge were different then. It was considered an event to see, much like a comet.

[Opihikaobob]

It was a hydrogen bomb, and the reason given for it shows how arrogant , and just plain insane some scientists and military personel can be:, quote of Van Allen below

"Well, I think a good entry point to the story is May 1, 1958, when James Van Allen, the space scientist, stands in front of the National Academy in Washington, D.C., and announces that they've just discovered something new about the planet," he told us.

Van Allen described how the Earth is surrounded by belts of high-energy particles — mainly protons and electrons — that are held in place by the magnetic fields.


There are two Van Allen radiation belts that circle the Earth (shown here in purple): an inner belt and an outer belt. The belts are contained by the Earth’s magnetic field (pictured as gray lines). Red marks a radiation-safe orbit path for satellites.

NASA
Today these radiation belts are called Van Allen belts. Now comes the surprise: While looking through the Van Allen papers at the University of Iowa to prepare a Van Allen biography, Fleming discovered "that [the] very same day after the press conference, [Van Allen] agreed with the military to get involved with a project to set off atomic bombs in the magnetosphere to see if they could disrupt it."



The utter contempt that this shows for the "natural order of things", is beyond words. They don't even know what it does , but they are going to try to disrupt it.



http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2010/0...s-in-space


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKvvrNrCOnw

Let's blow the the atmosphere , who want's clean air anyway?

http://agreenroad.blogspot.com/2013/04/h...ation.html