Edward Teller and the 10,000 Megaton Device

[TSK]

The Sundial device, with its terrifying 10 gigaton yield, stands as a haunting monument to humanity's darkest ingenuity, showcasing the depths of our capacity for destruction. Its creation marks not a triumph of engineering, but a descent into the abyss of moral ambiguity, where scientific brilliance is perverted into tools of annihilation. This monstrous contraption, conceived in the depths of strategic thinking, casts a long shadow over the collective conscience of mankind, serving as a grim reminder of the ethical quandry in which we find ourselves entangled.
 
The very existence of the Sundial device raises profound questions about the nature of progress and the costs of unchecked ambition. As it looms ominously on the horizon of human history, it challenges our complacency and forces us to confront the stark reality of our technological prowess. In the face of such unfathomable destructive potential, the imperative for responsible stewardship of nuclear capabilities becomes all the more urgent. The specter of the Sundial device serves as a somber warning against the hubris of unchecked power and the folly of prioritizing military might over the well-being of humanity. It beckons us to reevaluate our priorities and recommit ourselves to the pursuit of peace and collective security in a world teetering on the brink of nuclear Armageddon.
 

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The scientist Edward Teller, according to one account, kept a blackboard in his office at Los Alamos during World War II with a list of hypothetical nuclear weapons on it. The last item on his list was the largest one he could imagine. The method of “delivery” — weapon-designer jargon for how you get your bomb from here to there, the target — was listed as “Backyard.” As the scientist who related this anecdote explained, “since that particular design would probably kill everyone on Earth, there was no use carting it anywhere.”

https://blog.nuclearsecrecy.com/2012/09/...gger-boom/
Credit to Alex Wellerstein and his incredible research.

[sprocketuk]

Its a good job there wasnt the WWW in the 80s this story might have tipped me over the edge. 

[TSK]

Its a good job there wasnt the WWW in the 80s this story might have tipped me over the edge. 

It still bothers me to some degree. The 10 Gigaton device, Sundial, was never built. However, Gnomon, the 1000 Megaton primer, was alleged to have been built and stored at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

[sprocketuk]

I watched a thing ages ago that said anything 100Megs and above loses the force to space as the blast zone  goes beyond the atmosphere. Calls into question why anyone would try building bigger.