Video of the Tsar Bomba Nuclear Bomb detonation

Tsar Bomba Original Footage Video – Largest Nuke Ever Detonated

The Tsar Bomba footage. An amazing video of the largest thermonuclear weapon ever detonated.

Type: Thermonuclear weapon
Place of origin: Soviet Union
Blast yield: 50-58 megatons (TNT)

(scroll down for original footage video)

About the Tsar Bomba

The Russian Tsar Bomba was the most powerful nuclear weapon detonation in the history of mankind.

When and Where

It was October 30, 1961 over the Mityushikha Bay nuclear testing range, north of the Arctic Circle. The Tsar Bomba detonated 2 miles above the ground (~10,000 feet altitude).

How Big

At the time, the United States estimated the yield to be 57 Megatons. However, apparently since that time, all Russian sources have stated its yield as 50 Megatons.

During that period of time, Khrushchev, the First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, warned of the existence of a 100 megaton bomb during a speech to the Communist parliament.

Fireball and Mushroom Cloud

The fireball was seen and felt almost 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) away from ground zero.

The heat from the explosion could have caused third-degree burns 100 km (62 miles away).

The mushroom cloud was 64 km (40 miles, or more than 200,000 feet) high. Nearly seven times higher than Mount Everest. It reached above the stratosphere and well inside the mesosphere.

The mushroom cloud cap had a peak width of 59 miles while the base of the cloud was 25 miles wide.

Affects

All buildings 34 miles from ground zero would be destroyed.

The explosion could be seen and felt in Finland. It broke windows there, and in Sweden. Additionally, in districts over 100 miles away from ground zero, wooden houses were destroyed. Stone houses lost their roofs, windows and doors.

Radio communications were interrupted for almost one hour.

One participant in the test saw a bright flash through dark goggles and felt the effects of a thermal pulse even at a distance of 170 miles.

There was an observation of a shock wave 430 miles away.

Windowpanes were partially broken to distances of 560 miles.

Blast damage occurred 620 miles away (atmospheric focusing).

The seismic shock created by the detonation was measurable even on its third passage around the Earth. Its Richter magnitude was about 5.

The blast was equivalent to all of the explosives ever used in World War II — multiplied by ten.

Tsar Bomba Footage

The Tsar Bomba was the single most physically powerful device ever utilized throughout the history of humanity.

The following video is original footage of the detonation.

 

The ethereal music in the background is called: “Lux Aeterna” composed by György Ligeti.

Specifications

It was a thermonuclear weapon, hydrogen aerial bomb. A second-generation nuclear weapon design.

  • Mass: 27,000 kg (60,000 pounds)
  • Length 8 m (26 feet)
  • Diameter: 2.1 m (6 ft 11 in)

 
[ Read: 5 Nuclear Radiation Detector Choices ]

[ Read: Geiger Counter Readings ]

31 Comments

  1. This is the first time seeing this bomb footage, dh would have been about 17+ years old and I was quite a few years behind him. No wonder my parents were speaking in whispers, they probably were discussing this bomb that was set off in Russia.
    No wonder the PTB are so happy to nuke everyone. Thinking they will survive the next bomb which goes off on this planet. They may be but look at where they will have to reside underground for how many years… way too many my humble opinion. 😣

    1. Point? Sorta like placing two probes in the ground and running a current through them….

      Makes the worms stick their heads up……

    2. Well, this one isn’t pointed… rather, a blunt instrument. All kidding aside, I suppose my point is an attempt at pointing out the reality and destructive power of nuclear weapons – given today’s current-events – politicians / pundits spouting at the mouth, seemingly wanting to open that Pandora’s Box.

      1. Ya, talk about scorched earth,

        And sky and pretty much everything

    3. Yeah. What the blerg? I’m kinda wondering myself. “I want to go to there…” as Liz Lemon would say.

  2. I’ve looked on Ebay and Amazon but couldn’t find any for sale. Maybe I’ll get lucky and find a couple on Moscow Craigslist.

  3. And to think they told us freon in our air conditioners caused that hole in the ozone layer….

  4. Any doubt that Humans will (eventually) be the destruction of the Earth?

  5. it was done purely for propaganda in the early 60’s cold war, much like the space race then.
    theoretically one 100 times more powerful could be built today in the same size package.

  6. I watched this and suddenly, I do not feel so bad about driving my gas-engine automobile, eating too much beef or washing my clothes with Tide detergent. I think I will get a cold beer and play with my dog and give the fat cats a spin or 2.

    1. Calirefugee,

      Eat, drink, and be merry…for tomorrow we die?

      …..believe I’ll hit the range…I feel a need for some therapy.

    2. Yup. Dr. Strangelove or How I Quit worrying and learned to love the bomb.

  7. It would be interesting to know the distance of the various cameras used.

    1. DJ5280
      Is the first time you have seen this map? It is enough to make one wish that this style of bomb would never have been conceived.
      I am concerned as this map it is set in SFO and it is not that far up the valley to the place where I call home. As it is just a cloud puff away. 🙄😣

      1. AC, well…on the bright side….I guess well never know what hit us. Is that a bright side? I had not seen this map or anything like it. Egads. And we now have global governments that are insane enough to do this.

  8. In my history class a few weeks ago, we watched videos that were unclassified pertaining to footage around this time. Specifically, they were about the nukes that were tested. The sheer difference between Castle Bravo and Tsar Bomba’s detonation and impact were massive. I wish I could find the image again, but there was graphic depictions of bunker busters compared to other “regular” nukes that were tested that were again compared to H-Bombs Castle Bravo and Tsar Bomba. Castle Bravo kind of looked like a bunker buster compared to Tsar Bomba.

    I’m not sure if this is true or not, but my world history teacher said Tsar Bomba was so massive that it almost basically set the atmosphere on fire.

    1. Poseidon, huge shaped charge that can displace phenomenal volume of water, kinda like the hand of God if ya ask me, total destruction without the residual radiation

    2. Here’s what the Russians have to say about the Poseidon. . . euronews.com/next/amp/2022/05/04/what-is-russia-s-poseidon-nuclear-drone-and-could-it-wipe-out-the-uk-in-a-radioactive-tsun

  9. Kulafarmer,
    i have seen this also, but i wonder what the delivery system would be. to heavy for aircraft or launch systems and a suicide mission for subs or ships. something autonomous or remotely controlled is a possibly.
    glad i live 150 miles from the gulf coast on a good hill.

  10. They could use a shipping container… unload it from a cargo ship and drive it to a city/neighborhood near you….

    I did the TSAR bomb over NYC. The casualties were 8 million damaged 25 miles out from the blast…. Nasty!!!

  11. Stark reminder of the inquisitive and destructive nature of man.

    Just because we can do it, does not mean we should.

    Sure hoping for some reasoning to prevail; however, with House voting to spend $40 billion on this Ukrainian quagmire. There may be dire consequences ahead.

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