These pictures were taken in 1970 when the French military tested a number of nuclear bombs on the French Polynesian islands of Mururoa and Fangataufa.
The Licorne thermonuclear test was
… fired at 18.30 on July 3, 1970, and yielded 914 kilotons, quite less than Canopus, but still impressive and dreadful.
Although this picture, like many of the series, is a work of the French Army (as far as I know) this is an original scan from a hardcopy I posess, and processed to remove dust and scratches.
A strange view on such paradise-like landscapes.
Apparently these photos have been passed around the net for quite a while. This is the first I’ve seen of them and they certainly are stunning. There is also a video of Licorne here.
If you are interested, you can also check two other posts concerning nuclear bombs: one focusing on the power of these explosions, the other dealing with the devastation. Both feature the same amazing photography that is seen here.
Canopus — a photoset on Flick and Your Daily Awesome » Photos From French Nuclear Test, 1970
via kottke.org and Emily
this stuff is whack
Hi There
These are great pictures. Do you know who owns the copyright?
Gailx
Nope sorry, the post links may have something.
FANTASTIC
These are not real photographs.
Could you post higher res version of the scan, maybe 300 dpi and 3360 x 4396? Would be a nice print for classroom discussions and so on.