Decoding the mysterious 'shadow' on the sidewalk, is it a supernatural phenomenon?

The Hiroshima and Nagasaki nuclear disasters left many mysterious questions, typically mysterious "shadows " appearing on sidewalks and public steps on the streets.

On August 6, 1945, the famous bomb named "Little Boy" was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan. Three days later, another American B-29 bomber was sent to bomb and destroy the city of Nagasaki.

Mysterious figure on the steps of a bank in Hiroshima, after the nuclear bomb explosion in August 1945. (Photo: Getty Images)

According to estimates, 140,000 Hiroshima residents died from the explosion, while the death toll in Nagasaki was 74,000. Besides the number of casualties, the Hiroshima and Nagasaki nuclear disasters also left many mysterious questions, such as mysterious "shadows" appearing on sidewalks and public steps on the streets.

Many people believe that these are the ghosts of the unfortunate people who died, not having time to escape from their bodies, leaving their mark on the road. Some people also believe that the destructive power of the bomb caused part of the bodies' material to remain.

However, the truth behind these mysterious "ghosts" is not as scary as we imagine.

Dark silhouettes of people and objects, such as bicycles, were found scattered on sidewalks and buildings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, after two of the largest cities in Japan were hit by nuclear bombings in 2015. 1945. (Photo: Getty Images)

From a scientific perspective, researchers believe that this is just a part of the legacy of the past left behind after both major Japanese cities were "discolored" by the destructive power of the nuclear bomb.

According to Dr. Michael Hartshorne at the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History in Albuquerque, New Mexico, when each nuclear bomb explodes, the intense light and heat from it will quickly spread into the surrounding environment. around.

Historical evidence shows that bombs can "bleach" concrete, stone, or walls facing the direction of the explosion.

Meanwhile, objects and people in their path unintentionally shield the objects behind by absorbing light and energy.

In other words, those strange shadows are actually the true colors of sidewalks, streets, or buildings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki before the explosion , and there are no other supernatural phenomena. .

In other words, the strange black shadows on the sidewalks and buildings are actually the appearance of that structure before the nuclear explosion. Because the rest of the surface has been bleached, the normally colored area looks like a black shadow.

The intense energy released in an atomic bomb explosion is the result of nuclear fission. According to the Atomic Heritage Foundation (AHF), fission occurs when a neutron crashes into the nucleus of a heavy atom, for example the isotopes uranium 235 or plutonium 239. In the collision, the nucleus of the element It bursts, releasing a large amount of energy. The initial collision triggers a chain reaction that continues until all of the parent material is depleted.

"The chain reaction occurs in an exponential growth pattern, lasting about 1 millisecond. The reaction splits about a trillion atoms in that time ," said Alex Wellerstein, research associate professor of science and technology. technology at Stevens Institute of Technology, said.

Energy travels in the form of photon waves with different wavelengths, including long waves like radio waves and short waves like X-rays and gamma rays. Between long waves and short waves there are visible wavelengths that contain energy that the human eye perceives as color. However, unlike long-wave energy, gamma radiation is harmful to the human body because it can penetrate clothing and skin, causing ionization or loss of electrons, damaging tissue and DNA.

The gamma radiation released by atomic bombs is also transmitted as heat energy, which can reach more than 5,500 degrees Celsius. When it touches an object such as a bicycle or a person, the energy will be absorbed, creating an effect. dark shadow effect between the surrounding bleached area.

The atomic weapons used in the 1945 attacks used uranium 235 and plutonium 239, releasing microwave gamma radiation and enormous amounts of heat. In fact, there may have been more shadows at first, but most would have been destroyed by the heat and subsequent blast waves, said Dr. Michael Hartshorne, an expert at the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History in New Mexico said.

As time passed, the long-term consequences of radiation from the bombs raised some important questions about their use. Many dark shadows printed on the stone floor have disappeared due to weather and erosion caused by wind and water. Some of the silhouetted sections were separated and preserved in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum for future generations to observe and reflect on.

Mushroom clouds from atomic bombs over Hiroshima (left) and Nagasaki (right). (Photo: Getty Images)

According to the World Nuclear Association, the nuclear bomb explosions in Hiroshima and Nagasaki had a destructive power equivalent to 16,000 tons of TNT, emitting a pulse of thermal energy that spread throughout an area of ​​about 13 square kilometers of the city.

Nearly a quarter of the population in Hiroshima died instantly when the bomb exploded. Another quarter died from the effects of radiation poisoning and cancer in the months that followed.

To this day, the bombing is still considered one of the most controversial topics, and left behind the heaviest consequences in human history.