Optical Flares Nuke 14 ((top)) May 2026

When a nuclear weapon detonates in the lower atmosphere, a significant fraction of the energy (~30–50% for airbursts) is released as thermal radiation — visible light, ultraviolet, and infrared. This appears as an extremely bright fireball, often called an or thermal pulse .

Imagine the climax of Terminator 2 or the nuke test in Twin Peaks: The Return . The screen washes white, followed by an explosion of angular, cyan and magenta anamorphic streaks that obliterate the background. optical flares nuke 14