Jump to content

death star


Recommended Posts

I was watching Stars Wars over the weekend and the death star got me thinking

 

Could a gamma ray burst from outer space which generates about10^47 J aimed at earth destroy the planet.. I think it would be enough to at least destroy the atmosphere... any thoughts out there...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I also think it's possible.

 

The number of 10^47 J is so immense that it should be possible.

 

Earth is 5.976*10^24 kg. Heat it all up by 5000 degrees, using the CP of water: 21*10^6 J/kg. And to evaporate it another 2.3*10^6 J.

 

Total energy required according to this estimate: 1.4*10^32 J... (which less than a factor 2 different from the value above, and I've given some argumentation for the number, which I couldn't find on the link provided).

 

In short: 10^47 J is about 1000000000000000x too much energy, and I wouldn't be surprised if you can destroy a star with it, not just a planet.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This thread is scaring me! If a terrorist got hold of this information, then all he'd have to do is go up into space and blast us with 10^47J and that would be that! .... Wont somebody think of the children!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.