Don't look at Cherenkov radiation

Care of /. comes a fascinating interview with one of the engineers on site at Chernobyl when it blew.

"From where I stood I could see a huge beam of projected light flooding up into infinity from the reactor. It was like a laser light, caused by the ionisation of the air. It was light-bluish, and it was very beautiful. I watched it for several seconds. If I'd stood there for just a few minutes I would probably have died on the spot because of gamma rays and neutrons and everything else that was spewing out."

Chernobyl Survivor