🤔 Chernobyl is the site of a major nuclear power plant accident that happened on April 26, 1986, in what is now Ukraine. At the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, a reactor exploded during a late-night safety test, releasing a large amount of radioactive material into the air. This accident is considered one of the worst nuclear disasters in history and affected not only the surrounding area but also many parts of Europe. The nearby city of Pripyat, which was home to thousands of workers and their

During the Chernobyl disaster, the reactor’s fuel rods were central to how a routine safety test spiraled into catastrophe! When operators improperly shut down the reactor, its power unexpectedly surged. Control rods with graphite tips were inserted to halt the reaction, but a design flaw caused a brief increase in reactivity instead of an immediate decrease. This sudden spike overheated the fuel rods, causing them to rupture and rapidly turn surrounding water into steam. The resulting steam exp