I did a Google Earth overlay which I think matches the rough position of the Caron photograph. Based on an Enola Gay flight path video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4-j1FyiWvw) and orienting using the location of the A-bomb dome and what I think is the Ota River in the lower part of the photo.
Regarding the mystery photo of the firestorm cloud, the orientation of the shadow tells us that, IF it is of Hiroshima, it was taken roughly 100km to the ENE. (The firestorm cloud rose to almost 20km.) There is, however, no current coastline to the ENE of Hiroshima that matches the bays visible in the lower right of the photo. There have, of course, been many modifications all up and down the coast in the 80 years since WWII, so this does not necessarily rule out this being a photo of the Hiroshima firestorm cloud.
Nonetheless, the search should be expanded to include the other dozen or so firestorms trigger across Japan by the US firebombing campaign -- the most famous being Tokyo. It would not be surprising if at least one the other pyrocumulus clouds were photographed. This photo seems to have almost inadvertently capture this cloud.
I challenge geography buffs in Japan to identify the location and orientation of the bays and then match it up with one of the firebombed cities.
Mitsuge's first photo is especially awesome (awe-some). Thank you.
Came here to comment on Nukemap. Good site, interesting and informative. I have a suggestion:
Reduce the number of significant digits in the numbers. It would read faster, and have more impact. For work I created reports and this is a lesson I learned. Most of the information is in the first one or two digits. In the field of nuclear effects uncertainty is high--20 to 30% or more. That is 1 or 2 significant digits.
This site https://atomicphotographers.com/photographers/george-r-caron/ shows another Caron photo, which looks to be earlier than the 58189 image (note the head and stem separation). That site reports that Caron used a Fairchild K-20 camera which has 4"x5" negatives. Where are all those negatives?
The NARA website you link to says the 58189 image was "copied 11 Aug 1945. 20x24" neg." That must refer to the copy negative made from the original print. And where is *that* negative?
In Caron's photographs, there is a white mini-mushroom rising from the base cloud of smoke and dust. I am unable to orient the Caron photos geographically (to overlay on a map), but I'm wondering if the mini-mushroom is perhaps a petroleum tank going up?
I did a Google Earth overlay which I think matches the rough position of the Caron photograph. Based on an Enola Gay flight path video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4-j1FyiWvw) and orienting using the location of the A-bomb dome and what I think is the Ota River in the lower part of the photo.
Full photograph:
https://i.imgur.com/rDzgR7G.jpeg
Semi-Transparent.
https://i.imgur.com/yzzZMTW.jpeg
Regarding the mystery photo of the firestorm cloud, the orientation of the shadow tells us that, IF it is of Hiroshima, it was taken roughly 100km to the ENE. (The firestorm cloud rose to almost 20km.) There is, however, no current coastline to the ENE of Hiroshima that matches the bays visible in the lower right of the photo. There have, of course, been many modifications all up and down the coast in the 80 years since WWII, so this does not necessarily rule out this being a photo of the Hiroshima firestorm cloud.
Nonetheless, the search should be expanded to include the other dozen or so firestorms trigger across Japan by the US firebombing campaign -- the most famous being Tokyo. It would not be surprising if at least one the other pyrocumulus clouds were photographed. This photo seems to have almost inadvertently capture this cloud.
I challenge geography buffs in Japan to identify the location and orientation of the bays and then match it up with one of the firebombed cities.
Mitsuge's first photo is especially awesome (awe-some). Thank you.
Came here to comment on Nukemap. Good site, interesting and informative. I have a suggestion:
Reduce the number of significant digits in the numbers. It would read faster, and have more impact. For work I created reports and this is a lesson I learned. Most of the information is in the first one or two digits. In the field of nuclear effects uncertainty is high--20 to 30% or more. That is 1 or 2 significant digits.
The image by Mitsuo Matsushige is simply incredible. The only comparable photos that I know of are those taken close up of volcanos in the Philipines:
https://www.demilked.com/taal-volcano-eruption-philippines-photographs/
This site https://atomicphotographers.com/photographers/george-r-caron/ shows another Caron photo, which looks to be earlier than the 58189 image (note the head and stem separation). That site reports that Caron used a Fairchild K-20 camera which has 4"x5" negatives. Where are all those negatives?
The NARA website you link to says the 58189 image was "copied 11 Aug 1945. 20x24" neg." That must refer to the copy negative made from the original print. And where is *that* negative?
In Caron's photographs, there is a white mini-mushroom rising from the base cloud of smoke and dust. I am unable to orient the Caron photos geographically (to overlay on a map), but I'm wondering if the mini-mushroom is perhaps a petroleum tank going up?