Oh, yeah. Exploding energy will most definitely move in straight lines, unless there are constraints. Microwaves can be reflected by surroundings. Atomic bombs produce an initial burst of X-rays that are maybe measured in microseconds, then they are absorbed by the atmosphere into an incandescent plasma, which also radiates. So, yeah, the energy from an atom bomb is essentially instantaneous. They don't call it a flash for nothing. The direct radiation does NOT linger. The heat is mostly resident in the mushroom cloud and that convects away from the ground. (read "The Effects of Nuclear Weapons" by Glasstone and Dolan) The shadows were nothing left to burn; they were just contrast against the exposed surfaces that had been bleached by the initial radiation. (Unless you were talking about the grease spots, which would have been reduced to char anyway).
Oh, yeah. Exploding energy will most definitely move in straight lines, unless there are constraints. Microwaves can be reflected by surroundings. Atomic bombs produce an initial burst of X-rays that are maybe measured in microseconds, then they are absorbed by the atmosphere into an incandescent plasma, which also radiates. So, yeah, the energy from an atom bomb is essentially instantaneous. They don't call it a flash for nothing. The direct radiation does NOT linger. The heat is mostly resident in the mushroom cloud and that convects away from the ground. (read "The Effects of Nuclear Weapons" by Glasstone and Dolan) The shadows were nothing left to burn; they were just contrast against the exposed surfaces that had been bleached by the initial radiation. (Unless you were talking about the grease spots, which would have been reduced to char anyway).