Reed College TARGA I reactor SCRAM (new audio)

TARGA I reactor at Reed College, seen with the lights off, during Obscura Day. The end of the video shows a SCRAM (emergency shut down). The blue glow is called Cherenkov radiation and is made by the shock wave of the radiation breaking the speed of light IN WATER. The speed of light in water is slower than the speed of light in a vacuum. The shock wave works just like a sonic boom from a jet breaking the speed of sound but instead of creating sound it creates light.

Because of low light the video was very grainy. I did my best to filter out the graininess and color noise but the results weren't perfect. Video of the reactor with the lights on can been seen by clicking on this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqTF1UgvDJQ

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Reed
• College
• reactor
• nuclear
• atomic
• radioactive
• radiation
• targa
• scram
• cherenkov
• obscura
• day

[zarChuch0]

TARGA = Tiny Aquarium Reactor Generating Awesomeness?

[hettbeans]

@lexichronicle2 The "speed of light" is the speed of light in a vacuum. Light doesn't progagate at c in all materials. For example light propagates at 75% of c through water. The blue glow is from electrons moving faster than the speed at which light propagates through the material, but not faster than c.

[Bi2m4rk]

I WANT TO WORK THERE!!!!! in a fucking reactor... its a dream.

[Xezlec]

@365fg You'd be fine as long as you didn't cannonball down to the bottom. The water near the core very effectively screens out the radiation long before it gets to the top. The water itself isn't very radioactive either (believe it or not).

[soberek]

It looks soooo Black Mesa-like...

[pa1epink]

TRIGA: Training, Research and Irradiation, Gulf Atomic (GA is the manufacturer)

[spacehelmetforacow]

@hettbeans Precisely. Cerenkov radiation is sort of the optical version of a sonic boom.

[365fg]

Freakiest pool I would hate falling in.

[lexichronicle2]

Radiation breaking the speed of light? Isn't that radiation slowing down from the speed of light / ionising the water.

[steamant]

Blue Beauty.

[zenmachinefilms]

About two miles from my home.

My understanding is that only the tiniest amount of radioactive material has been in this reactor for years.