Would we talking about a mass extinction event? An end of all life on Earth event? Or something much less dramatic?
Dux Limitis
If a sugar cube lump of neutron star were to fall to Earth what kind of damage would that cause?
Would we talking about a mass extinction event? An end of all life on Earth event? Or something much less dramatic?
The wheel is spinning, but the hamster is dead.
Praepositus
Re: If a sugar cube lump of neutron star were to fall to Earth what kind of damage would that cause?
Well, I've had a look at this program here.
What we need:
Projectile Diameter: 0.02199m
If we believe this, a sugar cube has a side length of 0.5 inches or 1.27 centimeters. That has us end up with a diameter of a sugar cube of 2.199cm (square root of x²+y²+z², where x, y and z all equal= 1.27cm), which in turn equals 0.02199m (divide by 100).
Density: ~4.8x1017 or 480000000000000000kg/m³
Wiki lists a predicted density of neutron stars between 3.7 and 5.9x1017kg/m³, so we take the middle of that, which has us end up at ~4.8x1017kg/m³, which is 480000000000000000kg/m³.
Impact Angle: 45°
The program lists this as the most likely angle, so we will stay with this.
Impact Speed: 37km/s
The program lists typical impact speeds between 17 and 51km/s for asteroids and comets, so we'll again take the middle ground.
Target Type: Sedimentary Rock
Probably the most likely target hit when targeting a landmass.
Distance from Impact: 1000km
Let's just assume we are this distance away from the impact.
And here is what happens:
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Sadly enough, the program apparently isn't finished yet, so we are spared all the other terrible effects like thermal radiation, wind and seismic effects, but if you ask me, this would be THE extinction event.
Last edited by Tankfriend; January 18, 2011 at 05:13 PM.
Protector Domesticus
Re: If a sugar cube lump of neutron star were to fall to Earth what kind of damage would that cause?
End of all life without a doubt. They're just so DENSE it's truly unbelievable.
--- Theseus1234
Suum cique (To each their own) -Motto of the Kingdom of Prussia
The Crown of Aragon AAR- The Iberian Supremacy
^Human hubris knows no bounds.Originally Posted by Justice and Mercy
Comes Rei Militaris
Re: If a sugar cube lump of neutron star were to fall to Earth what kind of damage would that cause?
Is it even possible for that to occur?
Domesticus
Re: If a sugar cube lump of neutron star were to fall to Earth what kind of damage would that cause?
I don't think a sugar cube sized piece of neutron star would have enough gravity to hold it self together.
A rogue neutron star could always come barreling into our stellar neighborhood however.
Looks like you broke the program.The energy lost in the atmosphere is -Infinity x 10^-2147483648 Joules = -Infinity x 10^-2147483648 MegaTons.
Last edited by Gordon Freynman; January 18, 2011 at 08:15 PM.
Dux Limitis
Re: If a sugar cube lump of neutron star were to fall to Earth what kind of damage would that cause?
No but have you ever heard of a hypothetical question?
Anyway a 4000 mile wide creator 4 miles deep? That's a spicy meatball.
The wheel is spinning, but the hamster is dead.
Comes Rei Militaris
Re: If a sugar cube lump of neutron star were to fall to Earth what kind of damage would that cause?
Yeah but we prob see the star coming though...
Domesticus
Re: If a sugar cube lump of neutron star were to fall to Earth what kind of damage would that cause?
Nothing we could do about it unfortunately at this point.
Primicerius
Re: If a sugar cube lump of neutron star were to fall to Earth what kind of damage would that cause?
lots of mass, little volume, high velocity...
Good day sir.
that program's spew of numbers is pretty awesome.
hey I almost went to Purdue but stayed instate instead.... bah.
Ducenarius
Re: If a sugar cube lump of neutron star were to fall to Earth what kind of damage would that cause?
LOL love how the crater is 19000 miles? but doesnt detroy the Earth or make the day longer wtf?. Also i was told a teaspoon would weigh 10 tons, and that was a astronomer said.
Tribunus
Re: If a sugar cube lump of neutron star were to fall to Earth what kind of damage would that cause?
I really don't think you could possibly contain a sugar cube sized amount of neutron star at the density of the star. As soon as you flew away from the gravity the density would drastically increase unless you could find some way to create a gravitational container but if you can do that why use a piece of the neutron star in the first place? There's much more devastating things you can do that are easier.
Praepositus
Re: If a sugar cube lump of neutron star were to fall to Earth what kind of damage would that cause?
Apparently I did.Looks like you broke the program.
But that's no wonder, the event in question is so far out of scale of anything that the people behind the program might have thought of in their wildest dreams that simulating just that event obviously is outside of the capabilities of the program.
By the way, if you increase the diameter of the impacting object to 0.04, Earth is completely destroyed and shattered to form an asteroid belt...
This is TWC - thinking of highly unlikely or impossible things as if they were down to everyday basic sciences is common around here.
Last edited by Tankfriend; January 19, 2011 at 06:09 AM.
Domesticus
Re: If a sugar cube lump of neutron star were to fall to Earth what kind of damage would that cause?
Wouldnt it be like rolling a magnet into a big pile of metal shavings? Id image most of earths mass would get pulled towards it
Comes Limitis
Re: If a sugar cube lump of neutron star were to fall to Earth what kind of damage would that cause?
Remember what happened to JFK? Now replace that melon with Planet Earth.
The Earth is inhabited by billions of idiots.
The search for intelligent life continues...
Senator
Re: If a sugar cube lump of neutron star were to fall to Earth what kind of damage would that cause?
Neutron stars have a very specific lower mass limit. In fact, the apparent upper limit of white dwarf stars (i.e the lower limit mass of neutron stars) is one of the best tests of statistical quantum mechanics, as no white dwarf has ever been spotted with mass greater than the Chandrasekhar mass limit. As far as I know, there is no known force strong enough to rip a sugar cube sized lump out of a neutron star and then fire it across the galaxy.
If it did, we'd all be completely and utterly screwed.
A teaspoon of neutron star weighs about 3 x 10 ^12 kg, after all (assuming the numbers I found are correct).
Domesticus
Re: If a sugar cube lump of neutron star were to fall to Earth what kind of damage would that cause?
I think another fundimental problem would be getting the piece of Neutron star to fall to earth rather then the other way round.
__________"Ancient History is my Achilles' Heel"___________
Vicarius
Re: If a sugar cube lump of neutron star were to fall to Earth what kind of damage would that cause?
I always thought a neutron star was just another name for a black hole. Guess I was wrong on that account.
Protector Domesticus
Re: If a sugar cube lump of neutron star were to fall to Earth what kind of damage would that cause?
No they're way different. Neutron stars are old stars of incredible density. An earth sized neutron star weighs like 50,000 times more or something equally insane. Black holes weigh MUCH more. Also, neutron stars are physical objects, whereas black holes are immense gravity vortexes.
--- Theseus1234
Suum cique (To each their own) -Motto of the Kingdom of Prussia
The Crown of Aragon AAR- The Iberian Supremacy
^Human hubris knows no bounds.
Vicarius
Re: If a sugar cube lump of neutron star were to fall to Earth what kind of damage would that cause?
Aren't they both formed by a star's collapse?
Is a neutron star a *failed black hole?* Not huge or dense enough?
Comes Rei Militaris
Re: If a sugar cube lump of neutron star were to fall to Earth what kind of damage would that cause?
Ummm...the mass of an extremely dense physical object causes that gravity vortex.
One thing is for certain: the more profoundly baffled you have been in your life, the more open your mind becomes to new ideas.
-Neil deGrasse Tyson
Let's think the unthinkable, let's do the undoable. Let us prepare to grapple with the ineffable itself, and see if we may not eff it after all.
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