Melting a dangerous asteroid about to impact Earth

AI Thread Summary
Melting a dangerous asteroid poses significant challenges, primarily due to the immense energy required to achieve this. Simply melting the asteroid would not mitigate the threat, as it would still retain its mass and potentially create a molten mass that could still impact Earth. The discussion suggests that vaporizing the asteroid into gas would require even more energy, making it a less feasible solution. Redirecting the asteroid's trajectory is considered a more practical approach to prevent an impact. Overall, the consensus leans towards altering the asteroid's path rather than attempting to melt or vaporize it.
endoftime
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I was wondering how much energy it would take to melt a big enough asteroid considered to be dangerous? Is it even possible?

If possible, could it be done fast enough before it impacts?

If it is completely melted can it then be somehow dispersed so that it turns into smaller chunks that are not dangerous?
 
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endoftime said:
I was wondering how much energy it would take to melt a big enough asteroid considered to be dangerous? Is it even possible?

If possible, could it be done fast enough before it impacts?

If it is completely melted can it then be somehow dispersed so that it turns into smaller chunks that are not dangerous?

Melting an asteroid wouldn't be good enough (though it's a start), all you would have then is a molten asteroid of the same mass about to crash into Earth with the added bonus of now being so hot you can't lift bits off of it.

Continuing along your line of inquiry you would have to go further than that and vapourise it into a gas, the energy required to do that would be phenomenal. It would be far easier to just knock it off course.
 
ryan_m_b said:
... It would be far easier to just knock it off course.

I agree. Much more practical.
 

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