MovieChat Forums > Oppenheimer (2023) Discussion > atmospheric ignition

atmospheric ignition

posted 10 months ago by 22radians (22)
3 replies | jump to latest

Oppie says, in reference to the possibility of atmospheric ignition possibly destroying the Earth, "in one hour 58 minutes we'll know" a couple of hours before the test.

Actually when you think about it, no they wouldn't know.

If atmospheric ignition did not happen at the Trinity Test, they would still not know what would happen at Hiroshima where the lower elevation (even accounting for the altitude of the bomb) might create critical mass due to the thicker air at lower elevations where it might not at Trinity.

If atmospheric ignition did happen at the Trinity Test, they would still not know because they would be dead.

[–] blindfolded (1661) 9 months ago

That's a nitpick.

All he was saying is that it either will or it won't and he couldn't tell you for sure. It was a tongue in cheek turn of phrase. Sort of like taking bets on it is "gallows humor."

[–] thingmakersback (1444) 8 months ago

No. White Sands is about 4000 ft. elevation + a negligeable height of the tower. The Hiroshima detonation, which was an air-burst at 2000 ft, was only 2000 feet lower. This is not a huge difference in atmospheric density. Anyway, the math said atmospheric ignition was not possible and so Oppenheimer was really not seriously anticipating the end of the world as a possible outcome.

[–] Strazdas (2472) 6 months ago

I mean, they would know, for the few seconds it took from ignition to their death.

And the atmosphering density would not have had a mathematically significant impact on this.