Explosive yield210 quadrillion J
210 millionLightning bolt energies
48.8 quadrillionHand claps
50 megatons TNT equivalent; ~1,570 times Hiroshima
Photo from Wikimedia Commons
Tsar Bomba
The largest nuclear detonation in human history, and hopefully ever/Events & Phenomena
On October 30, 1961, the Soviet Union detonated the AN602 hydrogen bomb, known as Tsar Bomba, over Novaya Zemlya. At 50 megatons of TNT equivalent, it was the most powerful artificial explosion ever. The fireball was 8 km in diameter, the mushroom cloud rose 67 km high, and the shockwave circled the Earth three times. Windows broke 900 km away. The bomb was originally designed for 100 megatons but was deliberately halved because even the Soviets thought that was too much.
Measurements
Fireball diameter8,000 m
3,636Motorcycle lengths
29.1 trillionWater molecules
4,624Yoga mat lengths
~8 km across; visible 1,000 km away
Mushroom cloud height67,000 m
5.6 millionUSB plug widths
33,005Door heights
2.6 millionGuitar picks
67 km high; well into the mesosphere
Shockwave damage distance1 million m
400,000Sunflower heights
13.3 billionHuman hair widths
Windows broken ~900 km away; felt shockwave 1,000+ km away
Bomb mass27,000 kg
3,375Raccoons
186,207Baseballs
8.71Tesla Cybertrucks
~27 tonnes; had to be carried by a modified Tu-95V bomber
Bomb length8 m
2 thousandthsAkashi Kaikyo spans
53.3 millionthsBig Island lengths
1.2 millionthsNile Rivers
8 m long, 2.1 m diameter; it barely fit in the aircraft
Peak power output140 septillion W
6.2 quadrillionThree Gorges Dams
93.3 sextillionSpace heaters
46.7 quintillionDiesel locomotives
For a brief instant; ~1.4% of the Sun's total luminosity