[ RadSafe ] The 50th anniversary of Starfish Prime: the nuke that shook the world

[Cary Renquist]

The 50th anniversary of Starfish Prime: the nuke that shook the world |
Bad Astronomy | Discover Magazine
http://j.mp/NfjjiE

"50 years ago today, the US detonated a nuclear weapon 240 miles above
the Pacific Ocean. Called Starfish Prime, it was supposed to help US
scientists and the military understand how the Soviets might try to stop
incoming nuclear missiles. What it actually did was blow out hundreds of
streetlights in Hawaii 900 miles away, damage a half dozen satellites,
and create artificial aurorae and intense radiation zones above the
Earth. It taught the world what an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) was, and
what the effects might be from a powerful solar flare, a nearby
supernova, or a gamma-ray burst."

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Cary Renquist
cary.renquist at ezag.com