Frequently Asked Questions

The blast radius depends on the weapon's yield. A 1 megaton bomb creates severe damage within 4 miles, moderate damage to 10 miles, and can cause burns up to 20 miles away. Use our simulator to see specific ranges for different weapons.

Use our nuclear blast simulator to visualize the effects on any city worldwide. See damage zones, casualty estimates, and understand the different blast effects from overpressure to thermal radiation.

The Hiroshima bomb (15 kilotons) created total destruction within 1 mile, severe damage to 2 miles, and caused burns up to 3 miles from ground zero. Modern weapons are 50-3,000 times more powerful.

Air burst detonations maximize blast damage over a wider area, while surface bursts create more radioactive fallout but less blast damage. Most military planners use air bursts for maximum destruction.

Our calculations are based on peer-reviewed formulas from 'The Effects of Nuclear Weapons' by Glasstone & Dolan. While simplified for educational purposes, they provide scientifically accurate approximations of blast effects.

Nuclear blast radius is the distance from ground zero where specific effects of a nuclear explosion occur. Different damage zones extend to different distances based on the weapon's yield. The main zones include the fireball radius, heavy blast damage radius (5 psi overpressure), moderate damage radius (1 psi), thermal radiation radius, and light damage radius.

Nuclear blast radius is calculated using scaling laws based on weapon yield. The general formula is: Radius = Constant × Yield^(1/3) for blast effects, where yield is measured in kilotons. Different constants apply for different effects - blast damage, thermal radiation, and initial nuclear radiation each have their own scaling relationships.

A 1 megaton nuclear bomb creates multiple damage zones: Fireball radius: 0.9 km (everything vaporized), Heavy blast damage (20 psi): 2.5 km radius, Moderate blast damage (5 psi): 5.4 km radius, Thermal radiation (3rd degree burns): 11 km radius, Light damage (1 psi): 17 km radius. The total affected area can exceed 900 square kilometers.

Initial nuclear radiation (emitted in the first minute) is lethal up to about 2-3 km for a 1 megaton weapon. However, radioactive fallout can travel hundreds of kilometers downwind, creating dangerous radiation levels far from ground zero. The exact distance depends on weapon yield, burst height, and weather conditions.

Survival depends on distance from ground zero, available shelter, and preparation. Beyond the heavy damage radius, survival chances increase significantly with proper shelter. Duck and cover behind solid objects, avoid windows, and seek shelter in basements or interior rooms. The first 48-72 hours are critical for avoiding fallout radiation.

The Tsar Bomba, detonated by the Soviet Union in 1961, was the most powerful nuclear weapon ever tested at 50 megatons. It created a fireball 8 km in diameter, and the blast wave circled Earth three times. Windows were broken up to 900 km away. It was originally designed for 100 megatons but was scaled down for the test.

Nuclear explosions produce four main effects: 1) Blast/shock wave (50% of energy) causing overpressure damage, 2) Thermal radiation (35%) causing burns and fires, 3) Initial nuclear radiation (5%) causing immediate radiation sickness, 4) Electromagnetic pulse (EMP) damaging electronics, and 5) Radioactive fallout causing long-term contamination.

Understanding nuclear weapons effects helps inform public policy debates, supports civil defense planning, and reinforces why these weapons must never be used. Education about their devastating humanitarian consequences has been crucial for arms control efforts and motivates continued work toward nuclear disarmament.