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A closer look at the site of the power plant in the 1986 image shows a red spot near the location of reactor number 4. The high brightness of those pixels indicates a high temperature heat source. This heat source and darkened strip that extends to the west indicate an explosion, with the reactor still emitting high heat three days later.

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Apr. 29, 1986, Landsat 5 (path/row 182/24) — Reactor Number 4, Chernobyl, Ukraine
Apr. 29, 1986, Landsat 5 (path/row 182/24) — Reactor Number 4, Chernobyl, Ukraine

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