Editing Trinitite (section)

==Cultural impact==
[[File:Sign Prohibiting Removal of Trinite at Ground Zero.jpg|thumb|upright|Sign at the test site warning of the illegality of collecting trinitite from the location]]
Trinitite was not initially considered remarkable in the context of the nuclear test and ongoing war, but when the war ended visitors began to notice the glass and collect it as souvenirs.<ref name="smithmag"/> For a time it was believed that the desert sand had simply melted from the direct radiant thermal energy of the fireball and was not particularly dangerous. Thus, it was marketed as suitable for use in jewelry in 1945<ref>[http://www.radiochemistry.org/documents/pdf/trinitite_nuclearon_061608.pdf Steven L. Kay – Nuclearon – Trinitite varieties]</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lahdra.org/reports/LAHDRA%20Report%20v5%202007_App%20N_Trinity%20Test.pdf |title=INTERIM REPORT OF CDC'S LAHDRA PROJECT – Appendix N. pg 39, 40 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140317164653/http://www.lahdra.org/reports/LAHDRA%20Report%20v5%202007_App%20N_Trinity%20Test.pdf |archivedate=2014-03-17 }}</ref> and 1946.<ref name="smithmag">{{cite news |last=Rhodes |first=Richard |date=September 2019 |title=A Chunk of Trinitite Reminds Us of the Sheer, Devastating Power of the Atomic Bomb |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/chunk-trinitite-reminds-sheer-devastating-power-atomic-bomb-180972848/ |work=Smithsonian Magazine |location= |access-date=May 21, 2021}}</ref> It is now illegal to take the remaining material from the site, much of which has been removed by the US government and buried elsewhere in New Mexico; however, material that was taken prior to this prohibition is still in the hands of collectors and available legally in mineral shops.<ref name="smithmag" /><ref name="ars">{{cite news |last=Geuss |first=Martin |date=January 9, 2014 |title=Trinitite: The radioactive rock buried in New Mexico before the Atari games |url=https://arstechnica.com/staff/2014/09/trinitite-the-radioactive-rock-buried-in-new-mexico-before-the-atari-games/ |work=Ars Technica |location= |access-date=May 5, 2021}}</ref> Counterfeit trinitite is also on the market; trinitite's authenticity requires scientific analysis.<ref>{{cite news |last= |first= |date=July 10, 2014 |title=Authenticating Trinitite nearly 70 years later |url=http://enformable.com/2014/07/authenticating-trinitite-nearly-70-years-later/ |work=Enformable |location= |access-date=May 24, 2021 |archive-date=May 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210524001335/http://enformable.com/2014/07/authenticating-trinitite-nearly-70-years-later/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="beauty" /> There are samples in the [[National Museum of Nuclear Science and History]], [[Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History]],<ref name="smithmag" /> the [[New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum]],<ref>{{cite news |last=Gomez |first=Adrian |date=February 16, 202 |title=Meanwhile, back at the ranch |url=https://www.abqjournal.com/1421129/meanwhile-back-at-the-ranch.html |work=The Albuquerque Journal |location= |access-date=May 27, 2021}}</ref> and the [[Corning Museum of Glass]];<ref>[https://www.cmog.org/artwork/5-bits-trinitite-glass 5 Bits of Trinitite Glass] from the [[Corning Museum of Glass]] website. Accessed on June 4, 2021</ref> the [[National Atomic Testing Museum]] houses a paperweight containing trinitite.<ref>[https://nationalatomictestingmuseum.org/2020/07/15/manhattan-project-artifacts/ Manhattan Project Artifacts] from the [[National Atomic Testing Museum]]'s website. Accessed on June 4, 2021</ref> In the United Kingdom [[Science Museum Group]]'s collection contains a trinitite sample,<ref>Science Museum Group. [https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/objects/co5565/specimen-of-sand-melted-by-the-explosion-of-the-first-test-atomic-bomb-new-mexico-july-1945-trinitite-mineral-specimens Specimen of sand melted by the explosion of the first test atomic bomb, New Mexico, July 1945.] 1946-182. Science Museum Group Collection Online. Accessed June 4, 2021.</ref> as does the [[Canadian War Museum]]<ref>[https://www.warmuseum.ca/collections/artifact/3119463/?q=&page_num=1&item_num=10&media_irn=5742632 TRINITITE FRAGMENT] from the Canadian War Museum's website. Accessed on June 4, 2021</ref> in Canada.

The [[SETI Institute]], which seeks to find and research signs of intelligent life elsewhere in space, stated in 2021 that trinitite was to be included in their library of objects connected to "transformational moments" of potential interest to [[Extraterrestrial life|intelligent extraterrestrials]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Smith |first=Adam |date=April 29, 2021 |title=Seti is building a 'Library of the Great Silence' for alien civilisations to use |url=https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/seti-is-building-a-library-of-the-great-silence-for-alien-civilisations-to-use/ar-BB1gbKaU |work=msn.org |location= |access-date=May 24, 2021}}</ref> The sculpture ''Trinity Cube'' by [[Trevor Paglen]], exhibited in 2019 at the [[Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego]] as part of a themed collection of Paglen's art titled Sights Unseen, is partially made from trinitite.<ref>{{cite news |last=Mayer |first=Pia |date=February 28, 2019 |title=Trevor Paglen unveils 'Sites Unseen' at MCASD Downtown |url=https://www.mesapress.com/a-e/2019/02/28/trevor-paglen-unveils-sites-unseen-at-mcasd-downtown/ |work=The Mesa Press |location= |access-date=May 28, 2021}}</ref> The c.1988 artwork ''Trinitite, Ground Zero, Trinity Site, New Mexico'' by photographer [[Patrick Nagatani]] is housed at the [[Denver Art Museum]].<ref>[https://www.denverartmuseum.org/en/object/1992.557 Trinitite, Ground Zero, Trinity Site, New Mexico] on the website of the [[Denver Art Museum]]. Accessed on June 4, 2021</ref>