Trinity Test Photographs

On July 16, 1945, at 5:29:45 AM, a light "brighter than a thousand suns," filled the valley. As the now familiar mushroom cloud rose in to the sky, Oppenheimer quoted from Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad-gita, "Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds." The world had entered the nuclear age.

The "Gadget" had a yield equivalent to nearly 21 kilotons of TNT. "Fat Man", the bomb dropped on Nagasaki was identical in design to the "Gadget."

Base Camp

Base Camp

A portion of the Alamogordo Bombing Range was chosen as the site for the Trinity Test.

Bring the Plutonium

Bring the Plutonium

Active material for the Trinity device is brought to the McDonald Ranch.

Plutonium Core

Plutonium Core

Sgt. Herbert Lehr delivering the plutonium core.

Test Tower

Test Tower

The Gadget at the base of the 100 foot test tower.

The Gadget and Norris Bradbury

The Gadget

The Gadget atop the test tower.

Jumbo

Jumbo

Jumbo was designed to contain the plutonium if the bomb did not detonate properly.

Trinity .016 seconds

Trinity Test

The early fireball at .016 seconds.

Trinity .025 seconds

Trinity Test

The early fireball at .025 seconds.

Trinity .053 seconds

Trinity Test

The early fireball at .053 seconds.

Trinity .062 seconds

Trinity Test

The early fireball at .062 seconds.

Trinity .090 seconds

Trinity Test

The fireball at .090 seconds.

Trinity 2.0 seconds

Mushroom Cloud Forming

The mushroom cloud starts to form at 2.0 seconds.

Trinity 3.0 seconds

Mushroom Cloud Forming

The mushroom cloud starts to form at 3.0 seconds.

Trinity 4.0 seconds

Mushroom Cloud Forming

The mushroom cloud starts to form at 4.0 seconds.

Trinity 7.0 seconds

Mushroom Cloud

The mushroom cloud starts to take its familiar shape at 7.0 seconds.

Trinity Cloud 12.0 seconds

Mushroom Cloud

The famous mushroom cloud at 12 seconds after detonation.

Trinity Cloud 12.0 seconds

At the Trinity Site

In September 1945, many particpants returned to the Trinity Test site for news crews.

Trinity Cloud 12.0 seconds

At the Trinity Site

Oppenheimer and Groves examine the remains of one the bases of the steel test tower.

Trinity Cloud 12.0 seconds

Aerial View

This photo was taken 28 hours after the explosion.